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The Star
14 hours ago
- Business
- The Star
Don't like eating insects? Your pet might
In an ideal world, Watson would have approached the treats cautiously, with a careful sniff and tentative lick. But, being a dog – with a voracious appetite and no discernible appreciation for narrative tension – he devoured them immediately. He didn't know, or care, that they were chock-full of dried crickets and ground-up grubs. And so what I had envisioned as a climactic taste test was over in seconds, with what was, in retrospect, an utterly predictable result: my dog would happily eat insects. For years, some enterprising food entrepreneurs have been trying to convince people to do the same. As the global demand for protein grows, insects, they say, provide a more sustainable, ethical alternative to traditional meat. But the idea has been a tough sell. Although insects are a dietary staple in some cultures, for many people, they trigger a visceral disgust response. But dogs? If they have a disgust reflex, I haven't seen it. Insect entrepreneurs looking for open-minded eaters could hardly do better than good old Canis lupus familiaris. 'The dogs are not going to overthink it,' said Anne Carlson, the CEO of Jiminy's, which makes insect-based pet food and treats. Hers is one of many pet food companies trying to remake meat. This year, the British company Meatly sold a limited run of dog treats made with lab-grown chicken. BioCraft Pet Nutrition, in Austria, is working to turn stem cells from mice into food for cats and dogs. And Bond Pet Foods, in the United States, is using yeast to produce animal protein through the process of fermentation. There's still substantial scepticism about the future of insect protein and lab-grown meat in the human food supply – and about whether such ingredients can really wean us off our rib-eyes and fried chicken. Some entrepreneurs see pet food as a natural proving ground. If a company can 'crack the code for pet food, the path to commercialisation could be relatively easier', said Rich Kelleman, the CEO of Bond Pet Foods. Pet food companies don't need to replicate the experience of biting into a perfectly crisped drumstick. 'For dogs and cats, it has to taste good,' Kelleman said. 'But it doesn't necessarily have to taste like chicken, exactly.' The pitch Industrial animal agriculture takes a profound toll on the environment, requiring lots of land and water, and producing significant pollution, including greenhouse gases. The pet food industry, which often uses agricultural byproducts, has a smaller environmental footprint than the human food sector. 'But it is material, and we shouldn't ignore it,' said Peter Alexander, an expert on global food systems at the University of Edinburgh. Insects and lab-made animal protein have the potential to be far less damaging to the environment. And because pets tend to eat the same thing every day, changing their food 'can have real impact', Carlson said. 'It's like flipping a switch. One day it's unsustainable, the next, it's sustainable.' In the pet food industry, whether alternative proteins pay environmental dividends will depend on how they are made and how widely they are adopted. — Freepik Reducing our reliance on industrial animal agriculture could also prevent immense animal suffering. 'In the pet industry, it's all about loving animals,' said Owen Ensor, the CEO of Meatly. 'And I think a lot of people are increasingly uncomfortable with needing to harm and kill a lot of other animals to feed those animals.' Vegan pet food also addresses these problems but has to be very carefully formulated – and it won't appeal to all owners, alt-meat entrepreneurs say. 'People want to feed their pets meat,' said Ensor, who is vegan but has two cats who are not. The hitch In addition to Watson, I also have two cats. At first, figuring out how to feed them all was like trying to solve an impossible riddle. Watson, an intensely food-motivated dog with a heart condition, needs a weight-control kibble and must be kept away from the cat food, which he finds tantalisingly delicious. Juniper, my chronically underweight cat, should ideally have free access to her food – and is also a picky eater who reliably consumes only chicken. Then there's Goose, a cat who will eat until he makes himself sick and happens to have a food sensitivity to, yes, chicken. Watson, a dog owned by Emily Anthes. Watson is an intensely food-motivated dog who lives in a multi-pet household — and seems to prefer the cats' food to his own. (Sonny Figueroa/The New York Times) Finding the right meal plan for this menagerie took months of trial and error. So, as much as the sustainability and animal welfare arguments appeal to me, I'm reluctant to start switching things up. I'm not alone, apparently. 'What we're learning is that people don't really react or buy based on sustainability,' Carlson said. Shannon Falconer, the CEO of BioCraft Pet Nutrition, agreed. 'The main driver of any and all pet parent is the health of their animal,' she said.'That will supersede anything else.' In fact, another trend in the pet food market – the rise of high-end, human-grade products loaded with prime meat – runs directly counter to the quest for greater sustainability. Some companies are leaning hard into health claims. Insects, they say, are perfect for pets like Goose, who are sensitive or allergic to common proteins. It's a compelling argument, and if I ever need to find a new food for Goose, I'd consider an insect-based one. But I'm not yet convinced by claims that insect protein is a 'superfood' – one that some companies suggest could improve everything from gut health and coat quality to cognition and immune function. Research suggests that insects are indeed a 'high-quality protein source', with good digestibility and palatability, said Kelly Swanson, a comparative nutritionist at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. But data on specific functional benefits is limited, especially in cats and dogs. And companies will need to demonstrate that their products include enough of the ingredient to bring about whatever benefits they're promising, Swanson said. The verdict Ultimately, whether alternative proteins pay environmental dividends will depend on many factors, including how they are made – some production methods can be resource intensive – how widely they are adopted and what pet food products they displace. As Alexander put it, 'It all comes down to, 'What are you swapping from? What are you swapping to?'' Transitioning from pet food containing premium beef, which has an especially high environmental impact, to products with lab-grown meat would probably yield environmental benefits, he said. 'However, I'm doubtful that switching from animal byproducts or plant-based ingredients to lab-grown meat will be beneficial,' he added. And in order to have a real impact, alt-protein companies will need to produce these ingredients at higher quantities and lower prices. Meatly, which is raising money for an industrial-scale production facility, launched with a limited supply of dog treats made with just 4% cultivated chicken. Yora Pet Foods sells large bags of its insect-based dog kibble for US$4.50 (RM19) to US$5 (RM21) a pound (0.45kg), more than 1½ times what I pay for Watson's current food. At the moment, the grubs Yora uses cost almost as much to produce as free-range chicken, said James Milbourne, a managing director at the company. 'If you walk into the shop and you've got a bag of lovely free-range chicken and a bag of insects, and they're the same price,' he said, 'it just makes it more difficult to get that person to take a punt on it.' But if companies can scale up and bring prices down, I do think customers will follow. In a 2022 study, nearly half of dog and cat owners surveyed, including some who had no interest in eating lab-grown meat themselves, said they'd be willing to feed cultivated meat to their pets. – ©2025 The New York Times Company
New York Times
03-07-2025
- Business
- New York Times
In This Pet Kibble, the Bugs are a Feature
In an ideal world, Watson would have approached the treats cautiously, with a careful sniff and tentative lick. But, being a dog — with a voracious appetite and no discernible appreciation for narrative tension — he devoured them immediately. He didn't know, or care, that they were chock-full of dried crickets and ground-up grubs. And so what I had envisioned as a climactic taste test was over in seconds, with what was, in retrospect, an utterly predictable result: my dog would happily eat insects. For years, some enterprising food entrepreneurs have been trying to convince people to do the same. As the global demand for protein grows, insects, they say, provide a more sustainable, ethical alternative to traditional meat. But the idea has been a tough sell. Although insects are a dietary staple in some cultures, for many people, they trigger a visceral disgust response. But dogs? If they have a disgust reflex, I haven't seen it. Insect entrepreneurs looking for open-minded eaters could hardly do better than good old Canis lupus familiaris. 'The dogs are not going to overthink it,' said Anne Carlson, the chief executive of Jiminy's, which makes insect-based pet food and treats. Hers is one of many pet food companies trying to remake meat. Earlier this year, the British company Meatly sold a limited run of dog treats made with lab-grown chicken. BioCraft Pet Nutrition, in Austria, is working to turn stem cells from mice into food for cats and dogs. And Bond Pet Foods, in the United States, is using yeast to produce animal protein through the process of fermentation. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Entrepreneur
13-06-2025
- Business
- Entrepreneur
Entrepreneur UK's London 100: Meatly
Meatly pioneers the production of cultivated meat for pet food Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. You're reading Entrepreneur United Kingdom, an international franchise of Entrepreneur Media. Industry: Pets Meatly pioneers the production of cultivated meat for pet food. By harvesting cells from a single chicken egg, Meatly can sustainably produce real meat without animals. In February 2025, Meatly launched "Chick Bites," the world's first dog treats made from lab-grown meat, in collaboration with plant-based dog food brand THE PACK. This innovation positions Meatly as a leader in providing ethical and environmentally friendly meat alternatives.
Associated Press
28-05-2025
- Business
- Associated Press
Agronomics Limited - Meatly Reduces Bioreactor and Medium Costs
Meatly reduces bioreactor costs by 95% and medium costs to 1.5p/l at scale DOUGLAS, ISLE OF MAN / ACCESS Newswire / May 28, 2025 / Agronomics (LSE:ANIC), a leading listed company in the field of clean food, is delighted to announce that its portfolio company, Good Dog Food Limited (t/a 'Meatly') has developed an in-house bioreactor to accelerate the scalable production of its cultivated petfood. Meatly says the new bioreactor has the biocompatibility, longevity, scalability and overall performance to meet the requirements for cell culture for an industrial cultivated meat facility comprising multiple 20,000 litre scale bioreactors, which Meatly intends to develop as part of its next funding stage. The newly designed 320 litre equipment costs just £12,500 compared to traditional biopharma reactors, which can cost £250,000, representing a 95% cost reduction. To date, Meatly has concluded the commissioning phase and the first cell growth run in its pilot scale 320 litre novel, low-cost bioreactor. This patented bioreactor, designed in-house by Meatly's R&D team, will replace the reliance on and use of expensive biopharma bioreactors, which has been a significant barrier for many cultivated meat companies. Jim Mellon, Executive Chair and Co Founder of Agronomics and investor in Meatly,commented: 'What sets Meatly apart is the work being delivered to achieve full ownership of the intellectual property across the entire production line-from cell cultivation to supplying sustainably sourced chicken to pet food providers. This vertical integration not only enhances supply chain security and sustainability but also enables cost control to help deliver the scalability of its products to a growing mainstream market. In a food industry increasingly focused on resilience and environmental responsibility, Meatly Chicken offers partners the best of both worlds, reducing reliance on destructive farming methods while delivering consistent quality at an affordable price. We are proud to support Owen and Helder as they continue to lead the way in this transformative sector.' The full announcement is set out below without any material changes: 28 May 2025: London, UK: Leading cultivated meat company Meatly has today announced a series of landmark achievements in its scientific production process, marking a watershed moment for cultivated meat. This marks another giant step for Meatly in scaling cultivated meat and reaching price parity with traditionally reared chicken. As part of this mission to slash production costs, Meatly has announced it has concluded the commissioning phase and the first cell growth run in its pilot scale 320 L novel, low-cost bioreactor. This patented bioreactor, designed in-house by Meatly's R&D team, will replace the reliance on and use of expensive biopharma bioreactors, which has been a significant barrier for many cultivated meat companies. The new bioreactor has the biocompatibility, longevity, scalability and overall performance to meet the requirements for cell culture for an industrial cultivated meat facility comprising multiple 20,000L scale bioreactors, which Meatly intends to develop as part of its next funding stage. The newly designed 320 L equipment costs just £12.5K compared to traditional biopharma reactors, which can cost £250k, representing a 95% cost reduction. Additionally, Meatly is today announcing it has further slashed the costs of its protein-free medium to an industry-leading £0.22/L. Meatly is now in a position where, at an industrial scale, the company's medium costs will be priced out at around £0.015/L. This medium has also proven that it is capable of supporting cell growth for over 175 doublings, a substantial improvement on historical medium doubling performance. This will mean that Meatly Chicken, once scaled, will be priced competitively with average EU chicken breast prices. This breakthrough underlines Meatly's leadership in the industry's technical development as well as its pace to market. Following on from its regulatory approval back in July of 2024, Meatly and brand partner The Pack launched and sold 'Chick Bites' the world's first cultivated pet food, in Pets at Home in London in February. To date, Meatly has raised £7m, significantly less capital than other cultivated meat companies, proving there is a fast and cost-effective way to scale cultivated meat. Meatly is now in the midst of its Series A funding round, which seeks to raise finance a brand new, state-of-the-art industrial facility to scale production of its chicken. Commenting on the news, Helder Cruz, Chief Scientific Officer at Meatly, said: 'At Meatly, we have worked tirelessly with the team to bring to reality both our new low-cost bioreactor, as well as a record cheap medium to be used within it. Many have cast doubt that the industry would ever reach this point - but we're pleased to prove these critics wrong. We are showing the world that we can produce meat in a kinder, better way, and we can make it at a price which makes it easy for brands to incorporate Meatly Chicken as an affordable ingredient in their existing product range. By reaching price parity, it then becomes a simple and easy choice for consumers to buy better meat for their pets. ' ENDS Notes to Editors About Meatly Meatly (previously known as Good Dog Food) was founded in 2022 by CEO Owen Ensor and CSO Dr Helder Cruz with backing from investor Agronomics. The company produces ethical and sustainable cultivated meat products without compromising on essential nutritional benefits. Their current focus is on the pet food market. For further information please contact: About Reach announcements This is a Reach announcement. Reach is an investor communication service aimed at assisting listed and unlisted (including AIM quoted) companies to distribute media only / non-regulatory news releases into the public domain. Information required to be notified under the AIM Rules for Companies, Market Abuse Regulation or other regulation would be disseminated as an RNS regulatory announcement and not on Reach. This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact [email protected] or visit SOURCE: Agronomics Limited press release
Yahoo
13-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Pet Food Made From 'Lab-Grown Meat' Is Now Available and People Have Opinions
Today, there are more options than ever for vegans (or people who want to eat less meat) to enjoy foods like burgers and chicken nuggets without actually eating real meat. There are so many different types of protein that can be used to reproduce similar textures and flavors, and it's making it a lot easier to avoid meat for those who choose to. On the heels of vegan meat like Impossible Burgers are developments in lab-grown meat, which basically is the real thing, only it's made with the help of science, not animals. It's not widely available quite yet — at least, not for humans. Because now, it's official: The first lab-grown pet food has hit the market. On Wednesday, February 12, news station WDRB News shared a report on YouTube that is raising a lot of questions. According to the outlet, the world's first lab-grown meat for pets is now for sale in the United Kingdom. The food in question is actually a new treat called Chick Bites, and it contains 4% chicken meat that was made in a lab by a company called Meatly. As the news anchors explained, it's made by sampling animal cells and culturing them "with water and nutrients." Judging by some responses to the news on social media, not everybody is on board with the idea. One person tweeted, "I'd not eat it, so I'd certainly never expect my dog to. What's wrong with natural food, you know, actual real chicken that we've eaten for thousands of years." Others are celebrating the development. One person wrote, "As long as the lab stuff is healthy I don't see a problem; it would cause less suffering for farm animals." Owen Ensor, the founder of Meatly, told CNN that pets are actually the highest consumers of meat, not humans. "Our intention was always to do cultivated meat for pet food," he said. "We recognized that there was a huge burning need in the pet world, with 20% of meat globally being eaten by our pets." It seems like dogs appear to be fans of the new meat. Ensor said that in product testing, many of the dogs "preferred it to their baseline diet," which is really saying something! So far, the new treats are only available in the UK, but if they're a success, it wouldn't be too surprising if they made their way to the United States soon. It will certainly be interesting to see what even more dogs think of it when they get their paws on these snacks!🐶🐾🐾
