Pets at Home says it has become the first retailer in the world to sell pet food made from cultivated meat.

UK lab-grown meat company Meatly has produced dog food item 'Chick Bites' in collaboration with plant-based dog food brand THE PACK.

A limited release of the product will be on sale at Pets at Home Brentford, London, from Friday.

The launch follows Meatly becoming the UK’s first regulatory-approved cultivated meat supplier in July 2024.

Pets at Home was already one of the top investors in the company prior to the pet food rollout.

Chick Bites combine plant-based ingredients with Meatly Chicken for an alternative to traditional dog treats.

Meatly plans to raise additional funds to expand production and make Meatly chicken more broadly available in the next three to five years, with further collaborations planned with THE PACK and Pets at Home.

Anja Madsen, chief operating officer at Pets at Home, said that Meatly's lab-grown product has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food, describing it as a "game-changer for the industry.

“At Pets at Home, we’re guided by our purpose to create a better world for pets and the people who love them, and that includes looking after our planet," continued Madsen, who joined the company last April. "We’re also always looking to the future of pet care, and to make sure we’re developing and providing the products that matter to our customers. This mindset is best demonstrated by our investment in Meatly.

“This innovation has the potential to significantly reduce the environmental impact of pet food and will be a game-changer for the industry.”

The FoodTech industry has made remarkable strides in recent years, with a number of innovative technologies and processes making cruelty-free, sustainable, and healthier food options more accessible than ever.

Lab-grown meat is one of these transformative developments, with Britain recently becoming the first European country to approve the sale of cultivated meat for pets.

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