The first FDA feeding trial for a cultivated meat pet product in the US will begin this year. The product is Noochies!, a lab-grown chicken-based treat.
Earlier this year, Meatly gained approval in the UK for the use of cultivated meat in its pet products.
These are not the first approved lab-grown meats however. In the US, products for humans were approved in 2023.
What is cultivated meat?
This food is biologically identical to traditional meat, but it is created and grown in a laboratory, under strict environmental conditions.
Also known as:
- Lab-grown
- Cultured
- Cell-based meat
How is the “meat’ made?
- Cells are taken from an animal with a biopsy
- Most commonly stem cells that can create any type of tissue
- Cells are given all the elements necessary, and the ideal conditions needed to grow
- Cells grow on a scaffold (three dimensional framework) for weeks or months
- The tissue is harvested when mature
Limitations:
At this time, the cost and the ability to scale the process to meet a future large demand are the limiting factors.
Why grow meat in a lab?
The argument is that this lab-grown meat is more ethical and sustainable, with potentially less environmental impact. There is also less potential for contamination from bacteria that one can see in traditional food processing.
