Pet Food Giant Partners With Alt-Protein Leader to Produce Cell-Cultured Meat for Cats and Dogs
The pet-food market is set to be transformed over the coming years as companies re-imagine food for our companion animals in more sustainable and healthy ways.
Credit: UPSIDE Foods
Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a biology-based pet nutrition company, and Bond Pet Foods, Inc, an alternative meat protein pet food company, have announced a partnership to produce pet food formulas using fermented proteins to address the dietary needs of cats and dogs.
Precision fermentation can harness animal proteins to create real meat without hurting or slaughtering the animals. During the process, scientists encode genetic material for the desired animal protein into host organisms such as yeasts or fungi. The code is also mixed with vitamins, minerals, and sugars before being placed into fermentation tanks (similar to those used to brew beer), where the animal proteins grow.
As the enormous public health, animal welfare, and sustainability issues associated with industrial animal agriculture become more and more urgent, the race is on to develop viable alternatives. Cellular agriculture combats the issues above, all while providing products with the same taste and texture as their traditionally-farmed animal counterpart. There are more than 70 companies working on developing cultivated meat inputs, services, or end products, according to Good Food Institute, and with a $506 million invested so far this year into cultivated meat firms, the sector is already far surpassing previous years.
Now, this latest partnership between Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Bond Pet Foods, Inc, marks a significant step forward as major pet food industry players advocate for innovate solutions to the pet industry’s staggering meat consumption - in the U.S., dogs and cats consume more than 25% of the country’s meat supply.
"As we think about how we can help pets flourish and create a better, more sustainable world, we are keenly interested in exploring additional ways to take a science-first approach to pet nutrition,” said Dave Baloga, Vice President, Science & Technology for Hill's Pet Nutrition. “This alternative protein source marks a step forward on our sustainability journey to use science to help provide the best possible care for pets - for today and tomorrow."
Bond Pet Food produces cultured meat proteins that have all of the essential amino acids dogs and cats require. Last year, the biotech company announced that it had created cultured chicken meat protein for pet food.
Together, Hill’s and Bond will develop an alternative to one of Hill’s most popuar meat proteins for both cats and dogs. The formula will be more sustainable than current meat protein pet food, while also offering high-value nutrition.
"A new wave of responsible food production is emerging, working with the best that nature and science has to offer, and our team is leading this wave in Pet," said Rich Kelleman, Co-Founder and CEO of Bond Pet Foods. "Our team's continued developments are laying the foundation to bring high-value meat protein and nutrition to dogs and cats, while removing farm animals from the equation."
Meanwhile, Wild Earth and Because, Animals are also working to champion new technologies to provide more sustainable ingredient solutions for pet nutrition. Wild Earth recently secured $23 million in funding to develop cultivated meat and fish. Because, Animals, first cultured meat product, Harmless Hunt Mouse Cookies for Cats, will be on the market in 2022.
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