Pet food has moved on from canned meals and dry kibble, as the world’s first cultivated meat-based dog treats have been launched.The latest innovation in the food industry sees plant-based ingredients mixed with lab-grown chicken. The move is thought to be able to lessen the impact on the animal industry, avoiding the slaughter of animals unnecessarily. Whilst the lab-grown meat is currently being marketed for dogs, experts have discussed whether it could also be fit for human consumption with mixed opinions. Research suggests lab-grown meat could cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 96 percent compared to conventional meat production while using far less land and water. However lab-grown meat is expensive to produce, pricing it out of reach for all.
If it’s good enough for our dogs, is it good enough for us?
(
Image:
Getty Images/EyeEm)
Research suggests lab-grown meat could cut greenhouse gas emissions by up to 96 per cent compared to conventional meat production while using far less land and water. However lab-grown meat is expensive to produce, pricing it out of reach for all. Melissa Musiker of Upside Foods spoke to the Independent as she explained: “We’re so past the petri dish stage.” Yet there has been opposition from those in the food industry, both pet, and human, who have pushed back against the She added: “Somehow we are seen as an existential threat when we’re producing a fraction of a fraction of a percentage of the overall animal agricultural industry. Ff you’re into slow food and small farms or regenerative agriculture, your end goal is very similar to our end goal.” However, not everyone is in favor for lab-grown meat to become mainstream as Tim Spector, professor of genetic epidemiology at King’s College London says it might be a ‘stepping stone’ but ultimately we should be embracing plant-based diets. He said: “In a way, for many people, this might be a transition. We need to get them onto plants.”
The pet food industry is embracing lab grown meat
(
Image:
Getty Images)
He added: “Lab-based meat itself is quite basic. To give it the texture and feel of real meat, you might have to add chemicals that could make it ultra-processed, but that doesn’t have to be the case.” In the UK, the pet food industry appears to be embracing lab grown meat and hoping to adopt it as the norm. The UK government has already made headlines by granting £1.6m to the Food Standards Agency (FSA) to investigate whether its viable moving forward and whether the same practices can be applied to wider food including that for humans. Spector continued: “I’m all for these foods. Generally, it’s moving people in the right direction and the foods are getting either more sustainable or more healthy.” Click hereto follow the Mirror US on Google News to stay up to date with all the latest news, sports and entertainment stories.