Lab-grown meat for dogs hits the market, ushering in the era of cutting-edge pet care.
Apparently, we’re moving beyond lab-grown steaks for humans. An innovative company called Meatly just released a new dog treat that didn’t come from the farm, but from a lab. That’s right, we’re talking about a lab-grown meat specifically for dogs, and to add to the excitement, it’s got the irresistible chicken flavor!
Meatly has proudly released its product in the UK market, called Chick Bites. According to the company, these lab-grown dog treats were produced using a single sample of cells from a chicken egg. This is one of the upsides of lab-grown foods: unlike traditional pet food, the production of Chick Bites doesn’t have to rely on industrial farming and meat processing. The use of cultivated meat means no animals will be harmed in the process.
Remarkably, Meatly’s Chick Bites claims to have the same essential nutrients found in a traditional chicken. The final product includes fatty acids, amino acids, vitamins, and minerals that dogs need to stay healthy.
A Tasty Lab-Grown Meat
Meatly’s Chick Bites aren’t just healthy and sustainably made, it’s also delicious! Meatly partnered with a British vegan dog food company called The Pack, to combine plant-based ingredients with the cultivated chicken, resulting in flavorful treats that pups will surely love. While Meatly didn’t disclose just how much of the meat used is lab-grown, it claims that the treats are just as nutritious and healthy as real chicken.
For now, Meatly’s Chick Bites is only available at one Pets at Home store in Brentford, England. But don’t worry, because the company plans to make it available in more locations in the future. Over the next three to five years, Meatly hopes to increase production and make cultivated pet food more accessible.
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Making the Switch to Cultivated Pet Food
If you’re wondering about the reasons to switch from traditional to lab-grown dog treats, the number one on the list is sustainability. It may be unknown to many pet owners, but the global pet food industry has a massive environmental footprint, making it responsible for deforestation, greenhouse gas emissions, and water use. This means that switching to lab-grown dog food is doing your part in fighting back against climate change.
In addition, embracing sustainable food options like Chick Bites could also be healthy for your pup. In the past couple of years, several traditional dog foods have been recalled on the grounds of contamination concerns. Just last year, Hollywood Feed Carolina Made Chicken Chips was recalled due to it being potentially contaminated with Salmonella. Health concerns like this could be prevented by choosing lab-grown dog treats. That’s because cultivated meats are produced in a highly controlled environment, so some critics argue that they’re a safer and cleaner choice.
Also, imagine your pup munching on treats made without harming other animals. That’s another promise of choosing lab-grown meats as they are produced from cells, instead of whole animals. It eliminates the need to hurt animals during production, addressing ethical concerns surrounding animal welfare.
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From The Club
I don’t know about you but the new Chick Bites product from Meatly sounds amazing! Lab-grown dog treats are coming for the pet industry because they appeal to what pet owners look for: healthy food options for their pups and a practical way to take care of the environment and other animals. With so many advanced technologies available, it’s also possible for lab-grown dog treat producers to come up with groundbreaking flavors that dogs will truly love.