The lab-produced meat will hit shelves in the UK later this year, after UK authorities approved the sale of pet food containing it. No other European country has done so yet. However, similar products are already available in several countries around the world.
The UK's Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have approved the introduction of lab-grown meat pet food to the domestic market. The application was submitted earlier by Meatly. According to the company's announcements, its products are expected to appear on store shelves this year. “We are finalizing our first pet food and will start selling it soon,” the company says on its website.
According to Meatly's description, the company's food products are “an excellent source of nutrients essential for the proper development of animals”. They are based on in vitro chicken. This is created in a three-stage process. It begins with taking a “small sample of cells” from a chicken egg, which is then fed in a laboratory with “all the vitamins, minerals and amino acids necessary” for their growth. Finally, the future meat is transferred to special containers, providing it with the right temperature and other conditions. The result is a paste resembling a pate – reports The Guardian.
Lab-grown meat approved for UK market
Meatly itself assures that “every step of its (production) process is carefully monitored to ensure that no unwanted chemicals, bacteria or other nasties get into its meat”. Describing its products, the company assures that “it's just chicken and nothing else”. As The Guardian notes, however, it is possible that in the future it will start adding vegetables or other ingredients to its food to lower the prices of its products. According to the company's announcements, it plans to focus on reducing costs and increasing production in the coming years.
In vitro meat approved for use in pet food InGreen/Shutterstock
As the company's co-founder Owen Ensor points out in an interview with The Financial Times, the company is seeing interest in its products from animal owners who oppose cruelty to other creatures. Supporters of in vitro meat also point to the possibility of reducing carbon dioxide emissions and water consumption caused by traditional animal farming. Opponents of this solution, on the other hand, argue that it is expensive and may have a negative impact on farmers – describes the BBC.
As The Guardian notes, no European country has yet decided to introduce products containing lab-grown meat to its market. However, it is already available in Singapore and Israel. In 2022 consent to its sale The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) also issued a ban. However, some states later decided to ban in vitro meat. Among them was Florida, whose governor Ron DeSantis justified it by saying he wanted to “save local beef” from the “global elite” and its “authoritarian agenda.”
BBC, The Financial Times, The Guardian, tvn24.pl
Main image source: InGreen/Shutterstock