Is lab-grown meat the food of the future for your pets?
Nicola Wordsworth’s Tibetan Terrier named Bertie follows the same dietary regime as his owner.
Wordsworth, a 54-year-old from Kent, UK, says she’s a flexitarian: someone who’s on and off vegetarian and vegan.
“I don’t do dairy and I rarely eat meat,” she says.
Nicola Wordsworth and her Tibetan Terrier named Bertie are both ‘flexitarian’. Credit Nicola Wordsworth.
“Bertie is also an on-off vegetarian and vegan as well. But when he does have meat in his food, I make sure that the meat is sustainable, low mileage and is of good quality.”
A study earlier this year out of the UK found that around 60% of pet owners would like to know about the environmental impact of the food they are buying for their pets. And that’s a good thing.
The global pet food industry is one of the largest emitters of greenhouse gases. According to one report by the University of Edinburgh, the industry produces more greenhouse gases than countries such as the Philippines and Mozambique.
The global pet food industry produces more greenhouse gases than countries such as the Philippines and Mozambique.
The paper also calculates that an area twice the size of the UK is required to produce dry pet food for dogs and cats. This doesn’t include the area that’s needed to produce wet pet food.
Furthermore, a separate US study found that pet food is responsible for up to 30% of the environmental impact of meat production.
Meat no longer on your pet’s menu? Argument For Lab-Grown Meat.
So is it time for pet owners to consider taking meat off the menu for our pets? Should pet owners switch to more sustainable food sources, such as insects, vegan foods, and possibly even lab grown meats?
Lab-grown meats, also known as cultivated meat, is something a London-based company is hoping to bring into the market in the next couple of years.
The research team at Good Dog Food, a joint venture between the biotech firms Agronomics and Roslin Technologies, is already growing lab-grown chicken.
Would you let your dog eat lab-grown meat? In fact, would you eat lab-grown meat yourself?
Producing Lab-Grown Meat
To produce lab-grown meat, the scientists first take stem cells from the animal from which they wish to grow. The stem cells are normally taken from an embryo but can also be taken from adult animals.
These cells are then fed nutrients such as vitamins, glucose, and amino acids, replicating what happens inside an animal’s body. This method creates meat without the need to raise and slaughter livestock. There is also no need to source new additional stem cells as the stock is ‘infinitely renewing’, according to the team at Good Dog Food.
Professor Jacqui Matthews, former chief scientific officer for Roslin Technologies, says that lab grown meats present an alternative to feed pets animal material-based diets without the environmental or ethical implications associated with traditional meat.
The chief executive of Good Dog Food, Owen Ensor, says cultivated meat uses significantly less land and water compared to traditional meat. It also reduces deforestation and agriculture-related pollution. Additionally, the production of lab-grown meat is not expected to require the use of any antibiotics.
“My partner and I would love to get a pet,” Mr Owen said. “But as we are both vegan, it has been a struggle to align owning a pet with the environmental and moral cost of owning one. But hopefully, Good Dog Food might be able to change that.”
Reflection of ourselves
It’s not unusual for a pet owner to apply their own food choices to their pet. After all, our dogs are a reflection of who we are.
“Pet food diets closely follow the trends of human foods,” says dog nutritionist Alyssa Ralph. “For example, when gluten-free diets became the trend for humans, the grain-free pet food industry exploded shortly after. It’s the same now with vegan diets”
Should we still be feeding our dogs the same food as their ancestors?
Guy Sandelowsky, a small-animal veterinarian and founder of Omni dog food, says it’s not appropriate for dog owners to feed their animals with the meat their wild ancestors would have eaten.
“We know they require protein. But it’s entirely possible to provide our dogs with all the protein they need from plant based foods,” Mr Sandelowsky says.
“Currently, pet owners are expected to be feeding our pet dogs an ancestral diet similar to what modern-day grey wolves eat,” Mr Ralph says.
Guy Sandelowsky says it’s possible to provide our dogs with all the protein they need from plant based foods. Credit: Guy Sandelowsky.
“Whilst it’s true that our dogs and grey wolves share a common ancestor, we started domesticating dogs at least 15,000 years ago. There are some ‘proto-dogs’, or the first dogs descended from wolves, potentially appearing up to 100,000 years ago.”
And Mr Ralphs might be onto something. A 2013 study published in PubMed.Org found that domesticated dogs have genetically evolved to eat a carbohydrate-rich diet. Cats however, are undeniably carnivorous.
However, returning back to Nicola Wordsworth and her dog Bertie, Ms Wordsworth says she would feel a bit ‘squeamish’ eating lab-grown meat herself or giving it to her dog. For now, she’s happy for both of them to stick to being mostly vegan.
“Bertie loves it,” Ms Wordsworth says.
“But more importantly, he’s happy and healthy.”
