Lab-grown meat is set to hit British supermarket shelves this year – but there is a catch.. it’s for cats, not humans

Lab-grown ‘meat' will hit British supermarket shelves for the first time in the coming months – but cats will be the first to feast on the new eco-friendly product.

The ‘meat' is made by London-based startup Meatly, which produced its first cans of the pet food last week and hopes to be selling them later this year.

The product is aimed at eco-conscious pet owners who want to feed their cats without having to worry about the supposed animal welfare and climate change concerns of industrial farming. 

The UK's pets accounts for 22 per cent of the UK's meat consumption, which is more than the country's children eat, according to Meatly's research. 

The tins of 150g of the cat food – enough for one serving – will cost roughly £1 and contain the foodstuff which is made by extracting cells from a chicken's egg and replicating in vats. 

The product will be welcomed by vegan pet owners that feel conflicted about feeding their cats real meat

Meatly are awaiting approval from the Department of Food, which they expect to be granted within three months

The growth of of the cells in vats is similar to the process of making beer or yoghurt. Meatly are awaiting regulatory sign-off from the Department of Food, which they expect to be granted within three months.

Founder and chief executive of Meatly, Owen Ensor, said: ‘I would very much hope that we would have this on sale this year.' 

Lab-grown meat pet food products should be welcomed by vegans who feel bad about feeding their pets meat, such as Lewis Hamilton. 

The F1 champion, 39, who adopted the diet for its supposed environment saving attributes, previously sparked a major backlash when he revealed his bulldog Roscoe is being fed a plant-based diet in 2021.  

Cutting out meat and dairy products is thought to reduce the eater's carbon footprint by reducing greenhouse gases from cattle.

But animal nutritionists previously warned meat-free food for dogs can be deficient in vital vitamins.

Nicole Paley, of the Pet Food Manufacturers' Association, said in 2021: ‘We advise that vegan diets – with no animal products – are carefully checked by a vet or animal nutritionist.'

And television vet Dr Scott Miller, who has appeared as an expert on BBC's Crufts, said a vegan diet could be ‘extremely dangerous' for dogs, and often removing meat from them was purely due to the preference of the owner.

Back in 2021, Lewis Hamilton revealed his bulldog Roscoe was on a plant-based diet

Pictured: Lewis Hamilton on a walk with his dogs, Roscoe and Coco

He said: ‘Dogs and cats have sharper teeth for catching meat. As much as it makes sense for you to be a vegan, when it comes to our pets it's going to prove problematic.'

It comes as researchers in the University of California have asked people to eat mold to save the planet. 

The Berkeley boffins are using genetic engineering to create proteins and meat substitutes from the genes found in koji mold which is already used to ferment sake, soy sauce, and miso.

The researchers have, so far, bioengineered the fungi into a patty they fried to resemble a ‘tempting-looking burger,’ but this is just the jumping-off point for the team.

They hope to morph the mold to control the flavor and texture of the product and create a line of food that will appeal to ‘even the most sophisticated tastes.’