The UK became the first European country to approve lab-grown meat, albeit only so far in pet food

Regulators said Meatly could sell its cultivated chicken cells, classified as an animal byproduct, to manufacturers as an ingredient.

The company said the first products, probably dog food, could arrive this year, although it is focusing on scaleup and cost reduction rather than immediate rollout:

Even mixed with filler material such as cereals, it will be a “premium product”. No other country has approved lab-grown pet foods, although human food is available in the US and Singapore.

A 2022 study found that the “carbon pawprint” of a dog can be equivalent to that of a human, thanks to their meat-heavy diets.

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The paste does not look particularly appetizing, but I am not the target audience. These cells are intended as a slaughter-free ingredient for pet food, and the company growing them, Meatly, has just been approved by UK regulators to produce its chicken cells for pet food. It’s the first approval of a lab-grown pet food ingredient anywhere in the world.

The approval was granted by the Animal & Plant Health Agency (APHA) on July 2. In the UK, cultivated animal cells intended for use in pet food are classified as an animal byproduct. The approval allows Meatly to sell its chicken cells to approved pet food manufacturers as an ingredient.

These are looking likely to hit shelves by the end of the year.

Read the full story: [https://www.wired.com/story/lab-grown-meat-for-pets-was-just-approved-in-the-uk-meatly/](https://www.wired.com/story/lab-grown-meat-for-pets-was-just-approved-in-the-uk-meatly/)