A World First: Lab Grown Meat for Pets Now Available in the UK

In a world-first, dog treats made from lab-grown meat have gone on sale in the U.K. “Chick Bites” by Meatly will be available as a limited release at a pet store Friday onwards, with promises of expanded production and wider availability as production is scaled up. 

Meatly first acquired permission to produce lab-grown pet food back in July 2024, when the UK became the first European country to approve lab grown meats and their sale. The company claims their newest offering to be a world-first and a “step toward a significant market for meat which is healthy, sustainable and kind to our planet and other animals.”

Chick Bites are a collaboration, made by Meatly in conjunction with British vegan dog food company “The Pack”. The treats themselves are made from plant-based ingredients combined with Meatly’s lab grown chicken. Meatly has not released any details regarding what proportion of the two are used in their newest offering. 

The lab-grown chicken they use is produced using just a single sample of cells, taken from one chicken egg. The company claims their newest offering is “just as tasty and nutritious as traditional chicken breast,” with the required amino acids, fatty acids, minerals, and vitamins to maintain your dogs’ health.

Chick Bites will be available from Friday, February 7, 2025, but there is a catch. This first batch of Chick Bites is described as a limited release, being available at a single branch of Pets at Home in Brentford, England. Pets at Home is a major investor in Meatly, stating it “has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food.” 

Meatly says that further collaborations with the Pack and Pets at Home are coming as they scale production up, aiming to make Meatly Chicken “more broadly available” within three to five years. 

Lab-grown meats are currently not approved for human consumption in the UK and Europe. They have been approved in countries like Singapore, Israel, and parts of the USA. Besides the obvious preconceived notions people may have about lab-grown meats, the main challenge right now is scaling production to the point of commercial feasibility. While Meatly may not have reache that point yet, they say this week’s limited release proves “there is an efficient and cost-effective route to market.”