Latest news with #AnjaMadsen
The Guardian
06-02-2025
- Business
- The Guardian
Dog treat made from lab-grown meat on sale in UK as retailer claims a ‘world first'
A dog treat made from lab-grown meat has gone on sale at Pets at Home in a move the retailer claims is a world first. Chick Bites are made from plant-based ingredients combined with cultivated meat, which is produced by growing cells and does not require the raising or slaughter of animals. The manufacturer, Meatly, said the chicken was produced from a single sample of cells taken from one chicken egg, from which enough cultivated meat could be produced to feed pets 'for ever'. It claims the meat is 'just as tasty and nutritious as traditional chicken breast', and contains the amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins needed for pet health. In July, the UK became the first country in Europe to back cultivated meat for use in pet food, after chicken produced by Meatly was approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Pets at Home said it believed it was the first company in the world to sell cultivated meat for pet food. A limited release of Chick Bites has gone on sale at Pets at Home in Brentford, west London. The retailer, which has invested in Meatly, said the snack was a nutritious, healthy and sustainable alternative to traditional dog treats. Meatly said it planned to raise funds to expand production and make its chicken more broadly available in the next three to five years, with further collaborations planned with The Pack, which provided the plant-based ingredients, and Pets at Home. Meatly's founding chief executive, Owen Ensor, said: 'Just two years ago this felt like a moon shot. Today we take off. It's a giant leap forward, toward a significant market for meat which is healthy, sustainable and kind to our planet and other animals.' Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion The Pets at Home chief operating officer, Anja Madsen, said: 'This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and will be a gamechanger for the industry.' Damien Clarkson, the chief executive of The Pack, said: 'Cultivated meat offers a tasty, low-carbon and healthy protein source which has the potential to eliminate farmed animals from the pet food industry.'
Yahoo
06-02-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Would your dog eat lab-grown food? Pet treats made from cultivated meat go on sale
Dog treats made from lab-grown chicken have gone on sale at a UK pet retailer in what is being claimed as a world first. The food, developed by Meatly, combines plant-based ingredients with cultivated meat - made by growing a single sample of cells from a chicken egg. The firm says the treat, called Chick Bites, contains all the essential amino acids, critical fatty acids, minerals and vitamins needed for pet health and claims it is "just as tasty and nutritious as traditional chicken breast". Pets at Home believes it is the first company in the world to sell cultivated meat for pet food which is produced by growing cells, and does not require the raising or slaughter of animals. Meatly founding chief executive Owen Ensor said: "It's a giant leap forward, toward a significant market for meat which is healthy, sustainable and kind to our planet and other animals." But the company, whose largest investor includes Pets at Home, has competition from rivals keen to exploit a demand from pet owners for more sustainable ingredients. Austrian-American start-up BioCraft has been developing cultivated mouse meat for dogs and cats. Part of the challenge for these companies has been that the process is expensive and complex, delaying getting products to market. In May 2024, BioCraft claimed it had managed to slash costs and plans to release its pet food by early 2026. Meanwhile, in February 2024, US firm Hill's Pet Nutrition said it had been collaborating with manufacturer Bond Pet Foods to "formulate test products". Researchers have spent years developing alternatives to animal proteins from traditional livestock farming, which is linked to climate change, biodiversity loss, and water pollution. In August 2024, the UK's innovation agency, to the National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC) to investigate the health benefits and risks, and what the British public will stomach. Read more from Sky News: A 2022 survey by UK researchers, published in the PLOS ONE journal, showed the attitudes of consumers towards cultivated meat are complex. The study involving 729 people revealed only 32.5% would eat cultivated meat themselves, but 47.3% would feed it to their pets. In July, UK regulators became the first in Europe to give Meatly approval to produce cultivated meat for use in pet food. Treats are 'game-changer for the industry' Meatly says its products have been through safety testing to ensure its "cultivated chicken is free from bacteria and viruses" and the "product is safe, nutritious, and free from GMOs, antibiotics, harmful pathogens, heavy metals, and other impurities". A limited release of the Chick Bites dog treats is being sold under the plant-based dog food brand, THE PACK. It will be available at a branch of Pets at Home in Brentford, London from 7 February. Pets at Home CEO Anja Madsen said: "This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and will be a game-changer for the industry".
The Independent
06-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Lab-grown dog meat on sale at major UK retailer in ‘world first'
Pets at Home has launched what it claims are the world's first meat -based dog treats made with cultivated meat. Their "Chick Bites" combine plant-based ingredients with lab-grown chicken, eliminating the need for raising and slaughtering animals. The cultivated meat, developed by Meatly, originates from a single chicken egg cell sample. The process, according to Meatly, generates enough meat to potentially sustain pets indefinitely. The company said the lab-grown chicken retains the taste and nutritional value of traditional chicken breast, providing essential amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins crucial for pet health. In July, the UK became the first country in Europe to back cultivated meat for use in pet food. Meatly's chicken received the green light from both the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency. Pets at Home said it believed it was the first company in the world to sell cultivated meat for pet food on sale. A limited release of Chick Bites have gone on sale at Pets at Home in Brentford, London. The retailer, which has invested in Meatly, said the snack was a nutritious, healthy and sustainable alternative to traditional dog treats. Meatly said it planned to raise funds to expand production and make its chicken more broadly available in the next three to five years, with further collaborations planned with The Pack, which provided the plant-based ingredients, and Pets at Home. Meatly founding chief executive Owen Ensor said: 'We're incredibly excited to introduce cultivated meat to the pet world. 'Just two years ago this felt like a moon shot. Today we take off. It's a giant leap forward, toward a significant market for meat which is healthy, sustainable and kind to our planet and other animals.' Pets at Home chief operating officer Anja Madsen said: 'We are thrilled to be working with Owen and the team to provide cultivated meat pet food products to our customers for the first time in the world. 'This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and will be a game-changer for the industry.' Damien Clarkson, chief executive of The Pack, said: 'The launch of our Chick Bites treats is a watershed moment for the pet food industry. 'Cultivated meat offers a tasty, low-carbon and healthy protein source which has the potential to eliminate farmed animals from the pet food industry.'
The Independent
06-02-2025
- Business
- The Independent
Dog treat made from cultivated meat on sale in UK in ‘world first'
A dog treat made from cultivated meat has gone on sale at Pets at Home in a move the retailer claims is a world first. The treat, called Chick Bites, is made from plant-based ingredients combined with cultivated meat, which is produced by growing cells and does not require the raising or slaughter of animals. Meatly said the chicken was produced from a single sample of cells taken from one chicken egg, from which enough cultivated meat could be produced to feed pets 'forever'. It said the meat was 'just as tasty and nutritious as traditional chicken breast', and contained all the essential amino acids, critical fatty acids, minerals and vitamins needed for pet health. In July, the UK became the first country in Europe to back cultivated meat for use in pet food, after chicken produced by the firm Meatly was approved by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and the Animal and Plant Health Agency. This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and will be a game-changer for the industry Anja Madsen, Pets at Home chief operating officer Pets at Home said it believed it was the first company in the world to sell cultivated meat for pet food on sale. A limited release of Chick Bites have gone on sale at Pets at Home in Brentford, London. The retailer, which has invested in Meatly, said the snack was a nutritious, healthy and sustainable alternative to traditional dog treats. Meatly said it planned to raise funds to expand production and make its chicken more broadly available in the next three to five years, with further collaborations planned with The Pack, which provided the plant-based ingredients, and Pets at Home. Meatly founding chief executive Owen Ensor said: 'We're incredibly excited to introduce cultivated meat to the pet world. 'Just two years ago this felt like a moon shot. Today we take off. It's a giant leap forward, toward a significant market for meat which is healthy, sustainable and kind to our planet and other animals.' Pets at Home chief operating officer Anja Madsen said: 'We are thrilled to be working with Owen and the team to provide cultivated meat pet food products to our customers for the first time in the world. 'This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and will be a game-changer for the industry.' Damien Clarkson, chief executive of The Pack, said: 'The launch of our Chick Bites treats is a watershed moment for the pet food industry. 'Cultivated meat offers a tasty, low-carbon and healthy protein source which has the potential to eliminate farmed animals from the pet food industry.'
