UK Approves Lab-Grown Meat, Starting with Pet Food

The United Kingdom has become the first European country to approve lab-grown meat, beginning with pet food. The approval was granted by the Animal and Plant Health Agency and the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for a product developed by the company Meatly.

Lab-grown pet food is expected to appeal to animal lovers who face ethical concerns about feeding their pets meat from slaughtered animals. The pet food industry has a significant climate impact, comparable to that of the Philippines, according to research. A study by the University of Winchester found that 50% of surveyed pet owners would be willing to feed their pets lab-grown meat, and 32% would be open to eating it themselves.

Meatly's product is cultivated chicken, created by taking a small sample from a chicken egg, which is then cultured with vitamins and amino acids in a lab. The cells are grown in a container similar to those used in beer fermentation, resulting in a paté-like paste. Meatly's production facility has been approved to handle this cultivated chicken, and the company plans to release the first samples of its pet food this year. Future plans include cost reduction and scaling up production to industrial volumes within the next three years. This might involve mixing the meat with vegetables, similar to other pet foods that contain expensive animal products.

Meatly has raised £3.5 million from investors and aims to secure £5 million in its next fundraising round. The UK government had previously considered fast-tracking the approval of lab-grown meat for human consumption. The Food Standards Agency is exploring ways to expedite the regulation and market introduction of such products, a move previously promoted by the Conservative government as a "Brexit benefit."

Linus Pardoe, UK policy manager at the Good Food Institute Europe, highlighted the significance of this approval, noting that it marks an important milestone in reducing the negative impacts of intensive animal agriculture. He stressed the need for government investment in research and infrastructure to make cultivated meat delicious, affordable, and accessible across the UK.

While the UK leads in developing lab-grown meat, countries like Singapore and Israel have already approved such products for human consumption. In contrast, US states like Florida and Alabama have banned cultivated meat, citing concerns from livestock farmers.