A California company has plans to release pet food products made with artificial meat – “cultured protein”. Would you consider giving your pet an artificial meat pet food or treat?
Wild Earth has plans to release into the pet food market pet treats made with “lab-created proteins”. An article posted on Bloomberg.com states: “Wild Earth hopes to be the first pet food brand based on cellular agriculture. The initial product Wild Earth plans to sell from its direct-to-consumer website is a koji-based dog treat.”
Co-founder Ryan Bethencourt “compares his company’s production of “clean” protein to that of sake—imagine giant fermentation tanks—right down to using the same ingredient to fuel its protein growth. Koji, a fungus, is the Japanese version of baker’s yeast. It grows rapidly inside tanks, along with sugar and nutrients, at the right balmy temperature. The result is a plant-based protein with a close match to eggs or animal-based meat. Because koji is widely consumed by humans, it already has a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) designation. Wild Earth’s supply chain is simple—it uses only a handful of ingredients—and easily traceable.”
The Wild Earth website states ““
Wild Earth has not done all of their pet food homework however. Just because “koji is widely consumed by humans, it already has a GRAS (Generally Recognized As Safe) designation” does not give a koji based dog treat GRAS status in pet food. Koji cultured protein might be approved for human food, but it has to go through a different regulatory process to be approved for pet food.
So…what do you think? Would you give your pet a food or treat made from lab-created proteins?
Wishing you and your pet(s) the best,
Susan Thixton
Pet Food Safety Advocate
Author Buyer Beware, Co-Author Dinner PAWsible
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Kyle
April 18, 2018 at 10:10 am
Not really meat, though. The headline had me thinking about actual lab-made meat (with animal DNA) that is also making its way onto the scene. Wild Earth just seems to be a high-protein, vegan option made using lab-grown fungus. Regardless, I’m interested to see where this company goes!
Cannoliamo
April 18, 2018 at 10:22 am
Yes I would. On the same day it is approved by the FDA for human consumption.
Jarvis
April 19, 2018 at 1:07 pm
Of course the FDA would …it is a vegan protein. I haven’t seen wolf’s grazing on grass lately.
Debbie
April 20, 2018 at 4:43 am
I wouldn’t say that because that is coming
thomastryon
April 18, 2018 at 10:26 am
No, this is tantamount to experimenting on our beloved furry family members.
joan johnston
April 18, 2018 at 10:40 am
I would consider it depending on more info.
Heidi Greene
April 18, 2018 at 10:51 am
Nope, nope, and nope. I’ll stick with the old fashioned stuff that walks, flies and swims without any engineering interference.
MC
April 18, 2018 at 11:02 am
I think there are two issues here. One is the use of koji as an agent, the other is cultured meat. Koji, whether it’s safe or not, is not requisite for creating cultured meat, it’s something this company has chosen to use as a feeding agent. I welcome the advent of cultured meat because it means the end to slaughtering animals for their meat. No animal’s life is worth more than another. I don’t eat meat, myself, but I feed my animals a species appropriate diet, i.e. meat. If I could get that from a lab and not kill another animal for it, I’d gladly do it.
MB
April 19, 2018 at 2:10 pm
MC I agree 100% with you!
Terri Christenson Janson
April 20, 2018 at 11:51 am
I agree! I don’t eat meat either.
Cheryl Tebben
April 18, 2018 at 11:25 am
NO! I would not give this to my pet.
Dian
April 18, 2018 at 11:29 am
no no no
chris
April 18, 2018 at 11:47 am
If I would feed my dog that crap, then I would eat GMOs which I do not. I don’t understand companies-it is never about what is good for people or dogs, it always seems to be about the almighty dollar.
Kyle
April 18, 2018 at 12:33 pm
The organic, non-gmo industry is about money, too.
PeterSPoulos
April 19, 2018 at 9:43 am
Of course, no one can just give their products away. But please do not try to assume equivalency between businesses that seek to provide healthy, life sustaining and enriching products with those who know their products cause cancer.
lyn
April 18, 2018 at 12:04 pm
National Geographic has more information on it. https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/03/can-pets-be-vegan-food-koji-dogs-cats-wild-earth-science/?beta=true
paponypal
April 18, 2018 at 12:26 pm
NO
Kathryn
April 18, 2018 at 12:31 pm
I would no more feed this to an animal than I would feed it to my family!
Jeri
April 18, 2018 at 12:40 pm
No. Real food/real meat, meat organs, and a small amount of fruit and veggies for our babies. Always.
Baron Dane
April 18, 2018 at 12:55 pm
No. I wont feed my dog anything I wouldn’t eat or feed my family for dinner.
Rene
April 18, 2018 at 1:03 pm
YES! Cultured protein is no different than the ingredients found in the dozens of nutritious meat substitute products found in the human grocery store aisles.
What this story fails to mention is that Wild Earth’s Chief Veterinary Officer is the highly respected veterinarian Dr. Ernie Ward, founder of the Association for Pet Obesity Prevention. Dr. Ward is a triathlete vegan and there is no better person to ensure that Wild Earth serves up the nutrition our pets need to thrive.
To get better informed about this product and hear what Dr. Ward has to say I encourage everyone to read our recent Tripawds Nutrition blog article, New Vegan Pet Food Bets Your Meat-Free Tripawd Can Thrive.
Sandra Schermerhorn
April 18, 2018 at 6:40 pm
Absolutly! Our dogs are vegetarian as we are. Too much tainted meat and too many dog deaths because of it. Cows and horses don’t eat meat. Our dogs are 13 years old and seem to be healthy and happy with their food.
veronica
August 18, 2018 at 3:04 pm
Agreed! I would absolutely try this (and I’m about to see if I can find it on the internet once I’m done here. 🙂 Dogs are omnivores and they do absolutely thrive on a vegan diet. My dogs who have passed on did so at age 16.5 and 17.5 (actually that’s a minimum. She may have been 18 or 19 since her age was an estimate when we adopted her at 1 yr.) My current dog is 9, at a healthy weight, and is a playful, happy dog with great vet visits (aside from a congenital heart murmur we’re working on trying to improve with good food and supplements), and a beautiful soft coat. I know many, many vegan dogs who eat heartily and healthily. Just like with any dog food, there are good brands and bad and there are homemade diets and mixes that are better than others, so you have to be just as careful as any dog guardian when it comes to feeding them.
As an aside, I haven’t found any reputable scientific studies that show that cats can live on vegan or vegetarian food to this point, so I’d be curious to see what happens with this new protein source. Cats are so biologically different than dogs–unlike omnivorous dogs, cats are true carnivores so it’s a far more complicated issue when it comes to even attempting to formulate a meat-free cat food. Until I see some convincing studies, I’m afraid my cats are stuck eating animals. It’s not ideal, but I didn’t bring them into this world, they were already here and eating long before I came along to adopt them. It’s an excuse, I know, but it’s one I have to live with until there is a better choice. For now I give them the best meat-based cat food I can find, which is just as complicated as finding a good commercial food for dogs. Add to that that one of my cats is unable to eat chicken or turkey and it’s extremely hard to find the right food for her. If dog food is bad about this stuff, cat food may be worse. It’s next to impossible to find a decent kind of cat food without chicken and turkey. They haven’t jumped on the allergy foods bandwagon like dog foods have, so chicken is in nearly all of the foods, except for some all-fish foods which aren’t the best to be fed exclusively. But–I’m wandering way off topic. Sort of. It would be awfully nice of something like this could help her, and I’ll be curious to see where this leads.
Robin
April 18, 2018 at 7:01 pm
It has been documented time and again that obligate carnivores CANNOT thrive, let alone survive on a Vegan diet. The way their digestive system processes food, especially MEAT is VERY DIFFERENT from humans. You can add all the vitamins and fake proteins you want, artificially match everything in “meat” but all you’re doing is going against the Natural Design of the animal. Either you love animals and respect that those you choose as companion pets are CARNIVORES, or you ….don’t.
Chris
April 18, 2018 at 7:20 pm
Unless someone can impune those two vets credibility, looks good to me. I guess I shouldn’t say that. Big Pet Food will probably be coming after them soon enough. Ie… Big Food vs the human plant eaters and doctors.
Reader
April 18, 2018 at 9:35 pm
Are you aware that dogs have an instinctual need to hunt. When you go for a walk with a dog, he/she is staking out territory, for the ultimate purpose of survival. Most dogs have a high prey drive (instinct) which has (often) been domesticated into play (chase & possession). But ultimately a dog’s mind is focused on food, propagation and protection. Yes, you and the dog are a pack. When dogs banded together, it wasn’t to attack a corn field. But eat the food it was ancestorially (and mentally) designed to do. Not circle around a bowl of protein powder.
I don’t eat red meat or poultry (but fish) but feed all of it to my dog. It’s noble to rebel against any animal’s suffering. But non-vegans are often left with a handful of guilt, for being meat consumers. Better then to focus on supporting local (sustainable) ranching/harvesting, and to defund factory farming. But many people benefit from an all round diet. We did not end up here at the end of the evolutionary chain without our ancestors eating whatever was available. In it’s natural state. And so far whenever science has tinkered with food it’s usually to make the system more profitable and seldom more nutritious (pure) for the consumer.
Philip Steir
April 18, 2018 at 1:23 pm
There are two different issues here… the Koji protein is a different issue but I’ll address the cultured meat (also called clean meat) aspect here…because it’s the most exciting thing coming to food bowls for animals. All animals.
The way and how we use farmed animals now for pet food is a part of a larger food system that causes enormous damage to the planet, public health, and obviously to all animals, including our pets. Many dogs and cats eat dangerous over cooked and unhealthy meat products which causes massive chronic health issues.
I love my dogs and cat but I hate feeding them other animals especially when most of those animal products are coming from a horrible, unclean, not transparent and inhumane system. The current production of animal products subjects tens of billions of thinking, feeling animals to lives of extreme confinement, emotional trauma, painful mutilations, and inhumane slaughter. Clean meat does not require that animals suffer or die. Here with this technology we have the opportunity to feed our pets healthier meat and healthier cleaner animal protein which will improve the lives of domesticated dogs and cats as well.
Clean meat is part of an incredible technology that’s already happening. It’s called clean meat because the product is cleaner—it does not come with all the bacterial contamination and cruelty that is inherent in the vast majority of meat in the United States—and because the production of clean meat is significantly more environmentally friendly, much like clean energy. I have numerous human friends who have already tasted and consumed clean meat. They can’t tell the difference because it’s 100% the exact same thing. It’s simply technology that allows us to produce meat directly from cells by growing them outside of an animal, circumventing the need for factory farming and slaughtering other animals. It’s a way to feed our pets healthier meat while circumventing the need for factory farming and its myriad harms to everyone. This type of meat can be grown without animals, antibiotics, or the bacterial contamination that comes standard with factory-farmed meat and can be fed raw to dogs and cats without issues. This is 100% the same product…but it’s meat without the misery.
Cellular agriculture is not scary or dangerous….its the exact opposite. It’s just a method of growing food that conventionally comes from animals, but without those animals. We can now grow meat from the cells of animals without harming anyone. It will help get our furry companion animals off of kibble for sure and eating healthy sustainable cruelty free protein.
Humans will be consuming this meat and other animal proteins as well in the near future.
http://www.perfectdayfoods.com
Just as modern automobiles replaced the horse and buggy, better alternatives will replace conventional animal agriculture and animal products. We have to do this for the health of the planet… and we can create a better more humane pet food industry as well.
Clean meat isn’t an “artificial” meat and it’s not an alternative to meat; it’s real, actual meat grown (or brewed!) from animal cells, as well as other clean animal products like milk and eggs…simply built from the molecule up.
Unlike at any other moment in history, we now have the ability to blend imagination with design to improve the world around us and make it a kinder place. We are entering a time with an array of inventions that will improve the lives for billions of people and billions of animals across the globe. It’s time to clean up our act and move forward….nutritionally and humanely.
Reader
April 18, 2018 at 9:44 pm
I don’t think the scientific theory is at issue. It’s how it’s going to be misused as is everything else in the food chain. Ever check out how much corn syrup is added to nearly every product on the shelf for a whole variety of reasons? No regulation or oversight, and certainly no accountability for promoting nutrition. So now we’re supposed to embrace these futurists? Instead, let’s straighten out what’s already right under our noses first, then tackle the future later. By the way, what’s the best way to support local sustainable ranching, and defund factory mishandlers. And certainly animal cruelty. But please don’t serve me a guilt trip.
Mollie Morrissette
April 19, 2018 at 12:33 am
Brilliant comment. Thank you for expressing the need for such marvelous technology. Personally, I think it has the potential to change our planet and it will begin to put an end to needless suffering and systemic abuse of animals in the agriculture industry. I stand behind cell-cultured meat 100% percent.
Philip Steir
April 19, 2018 at 3:56 pm
Hello Mollie, Thanks. Yes, clean meat (cultured meat) and clean animal protein is coming…and its going to be for both humans and pets. It’s not artificial meat. It’s 100% real meat with all the same exact nutrients as real meat and its not plant based. The Koji protein is a different issue, a different product and not created for cats.
Most importantly to note, no one is going to force cultured animal foods or clean meat on anyone. Yet, most forward thinking people are going to see all the benefits of growing animal products in this manner. It’s going to be a light at the end of what’s been a very dark tunnel leading to factory farming.
It’s not always easy to see the future… but for instance due to major changes in the transportation industry and it’s disruption, 95% of U.S. car miles will be traveled in self-driving, electric, shared vehicles by 2030, this according to Rethink X who did some major analysis over the last few years of the transportation industry. Rethink X also sees the same type of disruption happening with animal products and meat. By the year 2030 clean meat and clean protein will be the norm although it won’t completely replace animal products immediately. That will take many years.
This product will not be for everyone…… I’m vegan and I’m not going to consume it because I don’t need to eat meat anymore..I’ve lost the taste for it…but I want those who eat meat (dogs and cats included) to have the option to switch to clean meat. I realize many people may be reluctant at first to try it or to feed it to their dogs or cats yet…many people were reluctant to give up their horse and buggies and ride in a car a hundred years or so ago. Yet the world has become a much better place for everyone today because of cars, and especially for horses…no matter how scary or unnatural cars seemed at the time.
Cars are not natural and they can be dangerous…you could make the claim dogs were not meant to ever ride in them but…it’s one of my dogs favorite things to do…go for a ride.
Technology comes and we adapt. It’s the way it’s always been. We can now fly across the globe and we can even fly with our companion animals…something never dreamed of 100 years ago. Clean meat and cellular agriculture technology is similar…its coming and its going to make the world a much better place.
I’m dedicated and driven by the desire to help create sustainable and large scale alternatives to animal agriculture (factory farming) and the use of animals for food in the pet industry. However, my mission also includes creating and designing healthier cleaner meat, that will be species appropriate diet/nutrition for dogs and cats that gets them off of kibble and allows them to eat real raw meat. Thats what clean meat will provide yet it will be without any of the contaminates, salmonella, ecoli and farmed animal misery etc… that comes from raising and slaughtering animals.
Creating healthy humane and as I call it… an ethically pure food for dogs and cats is going to be the future.
Pet Owner
April 20, 2018 at 2:42 am
No one is going to force the product on someone. Well that depends on economics. As a “designer” food, could be unaffordable like “organic” or “health foods & supplements” are for some communities. However if mass produced, then it might be the only affordable option, and natural meat a premium. By the way, what happens when importers misuse the production, and send it our way?
Factory farming went out of control when demand increased exponentially because of fast food and the desire for convenience. Preservatives, chemicals, and biologics complicated the problem. Industry is protected at the expense of consumer safety, and now the price is being paid.
I object to being categorized as a resident “cave dweller” unable to see the future because I don’t embrace artificial food stuff. Just as I don’t accept artificial sweeteners, which have proven problematic over time. Shudder, that we would want to deal with (improve) the present instead of dreaming about the future. In truth, most people can give up 90% of their meat intake; problem solved. But they won’t, so shift the responsibility on over to the enlightened instead?
Nutrition and safety are related but a food to car analogy is dumb. The introduction of cars was more like complete novices facing the first personal computers. People forget what was required to use them, much less make them usable. Viewed as complicated, superfluous, risky, etc., etc.. But that’s part of social evolution, meaning unrelated to managing nutritional standards. I say we spend our attention, time and energy on improving what we have in front of us. And when we’ve got that mastered, take the next step.
And by the way, how are those “clean meat” pet food feeding trials going? Who’s going to manage that.
Philip Steir
April 20, 2018 at 11:26 am
Again, no one will force clean or cultured meat products on anyone. Over the next coming years once it’s commercialized and the price plummets it will become the norm. Just like how its the norm now…to get in a car and take a drive… rather than into a buggy with a horse or two pulling you to your destination.
The analogy I gave of how cars (automobile technology) helped make horses lives better and ended the pollution problems humans faced of horse manure filling up the streets making life unbearable in urban areas in the 1800s is perfect. It’s the same process, technology saves the lives of animals and we all have improved lives. . In the same way the innovation of kerosene technology ended the whaling industry saving thousands of whales from being slaughtered for oil lamps. (google that history) In regard to the nutrition and safety issue… Creating clean meat in a brewery like fermentor gives producers the ability to regulate the amount of different nutrients and vitamins, allowing for meat that is even healthier than meat from organically raised cows for instance. Other aspects in this area (which are happening now at companies like Memphis Meats) they can create the potential to eliminate carcinogenic elements from meat without sacrificing taste or nutrition. Making it safer and less cancer causing for humans, dogs and cats. In the meantime, studies predict that growing meat this way would cut down on the amount of land and water needed for livestock by 99 and 90 percent while emitting only 4 percent of the greenhouse gases produced by the traditional meat industry. This technology will improve what we have in front of us now…which is a broken food system that’s cruel and unhealthy for everyone. This is the next step you are talking about. This is it! We are taking the next steps. I urge you to google modern day slaughterhouses and meat facilities to see how un healthy and terrible these places are compared to the way meat will be grown. This technology is coming and it will change the way billions of animals are used.
One of the wonderful steps forward is that because clean meat will be brewed in fermentors there’s total transparency, unlike animal processing plants today…and more safety without any killing. Because this is 100% meat and the same product that comes from animals but just grown outside an animals body…there will most likely not have to be feeding trials. It looks identical under a microscope. The FDA is already looking into it. Please understand this is meat, just clean and cruelty free!
Betsy
April 19, 2018 at 10:06 am
Awesome post! Thx for all the info.
Woofielover
April 18, 2018 at 1:44 pm
Artificial anything is a problem. History within human foods already proves this. The only people I can see utilizing something like this is in the situation of an animal who’s allergies/sensitivities are so grossly stimulated as to be irritated by every known protein. Similar to why some utilize hydrolized proteins. Neither of which, IMO, are the correct answer to the situation.
Pet Owner
April 18, 2018 at 2:13 pm
OMG. It’s bad enough that we already can’t believe anything that comes out of a pet food manufacturer’s mouth. And now Wild Earth expects us to take seriously fake protein. Let’s just call it that. Not “cultured” not “lab created” but fake. Why don’t we just give our dogs a tablespoon of protein powder on top of some starches and veggies and call it a day. Not only is Wild Earth going against a canine’s nature and instinct, they’re taking a big risk on a “creation” being what they think it should be, long term. Lesson 101 = GMO products.
By the way, you knew this was all about marketing when they picked the name “Wild” (anything but) “Earth” hardly.
Caron Allen
April 18, 2018 at 2:17 pm
No. There isn’t enough information on the safety of this product for dogs. I don’t believe in engineered food. When are people going to learn you can’t mess with Mother Nature? I get meat from small farmers who use humane practices and who do not use pesticides or antibiotics. I’m tired of the vegan wars. You want to be vegan, fine. I was a vegetarian for ten years. But making a dog or cat vegan is animal abuse.
Caron Allen
April 18, 2018 at 2:40 pm
To add to my comment, if we want vegan snack options, there are cheaper and far superior fresh food options. I used to give my dogs fresh veggie snacks. I think a carrot or piece of broccoli has more life essence and is far superior to anything processed. It helps clean teeth and strengthen gums, and the fiber, vitamins and minerals are an added bonus. It makes me sad to see most cats and dogs living on any kind of processed, canned, bagged, freeze dried foods. How would you feel if you never ate any fresh food your whole life? Pretty awful.
Jane Democracy
April 18, 2018 at 2:58 pm
Darn … I was actually hoping it was cultured animal meat. Because in that case I absolutely would: provided they were culturing not just muscle near but organ meat as well and the nutritional/ amino acid profile was similar to the original and that the process used less resources than conventional farming and finally was processed under appropriate conditions. That would/ could eliminate so many current issues with pet food meat sourcing
Maeve
April 18, 2018 at 3:16 pm
NO! Not my fur kids, not myself! And it reminds me too much of of the Sci-Fri movie “Soylent Green” with Charlton Heston from 1973.
Virginia
April 18, 2018 at 3:53 pm
No, absolutely not
Olga S.
April 18, 2018 at 5:01 pm
No, thank you! We’ll pass . Do’t mess with Mother Nature!
James Richardson
April 18, 2018 at 6:45 pm
As with software, I will not be a first edition adopter. Nor my pets. Give it time and see what unbiased competent scientists say about it, same as with anything else new. If nothing wrong is found with it after say two years, sure. And I’ll eat it myself, depending upon cost effectiveness. I don’t eat meat (euphemism for body parts from cadavers) myself so will welcome any and all new protein sources that are safe and effective and not expensive.
Laurie Raymond
April 18, 2018 at 7:06 pm
No. We do not need another manufactured, processed food. What we need is to reform the agricultural industry and culture, the food, medical and energy industries, and learn how to eat and feed our pets appropriately without contributing to environmental degradation and the mistreatment of animals. I think it can be done, but all those things are connected and require a commitment to seeing the big picture and doing what is necessary to set things right. Artificial meat is an absurd distraction. For now, we humans should eat much less meat and our carnivorous pets should eat more humanely raised and slaughtered animal protein. We can learn from cultures that consume insects and other real beings, and we must apply a Precautionary Principle, more extensive but similar to that the EU uses, to evaluate the advisability of adopting novel technologies. Honestly assessing the potential harm, the question of need, and the long range implications. No
w we only think about how much money can be made by promoting novelties.
Madeleine Fisher Kern
April 18, 2018 at 9:01 pm
I have had Chronic Renal Failure cats in the past and one now with rising Creatinine levels which we are in the process of trying to lower with an Rx renal food (low-protein, high moisture content) which she is eating an which I hate but which I will tolerate until those levels go down. How does this new food protein match up with protein content in animal meat pet foods? Is the cellular agriculture to produce these new meats actual produce real proteins that can be measure in the event of renal disease?
Jeri
April 18, 2018 at 10:07 pm
I would urge you to look into a real food/raw food diet. Many cats have Renal Failure issues and putting them on poor protein diets (which essentially is the Rx diet) rather than real food compounds the issue. Darwin’s has a diet for renal disease. Rx diets can “manage” but never really cure the problem.
Betsy
April 19, 2018 at 10:01 am
The low-protein approach has been discounted in recent years. More important, is a high quality food, which, as Jeri says, is ideal. Darwin’s, however, just had a recall, so I don’t know if I’d choose them.
Jeri
April 19, 2018 at 4:51 pm
The recalls were for other things….and frankly it was for those pathogens most likely to harm humans, not pets. Nothing on the intelligent design menu was affected. Just an FYI. Currently, Darwin’s is the only commercial food I know about which has such options for liver, kidney and other ailments (designed by DVM Barbara Royal). Hopefully in time we will have more, but for now unless you want to struggle to control those aspects needed in a DIY diet (which would not be easy), they are the only game in town for those types of diets in a raw option.
Jeri
April 19, 2018 at 6:53 pm
The recalls were for things affecting humans. While dogs CAN be affected, the chance is rather low. That, coupled with the FDA’s separate agenda/standard for raw, and the wrong impression is planted in the mind of the consumer. Dr. Barbara Royal helped create the intelligent design menus for dogs and cats with certain conditions which REQUIRE altered diets. I wish more companies had these options in raw, but at present Darwin’s is the only one and it’s hard to create such diets in DIY. I would not throw the baby out with the bathwater…especially as none of the intelligent design menus were affected.
barbara m
April 18, 2018 at 10:45 pm
YES, would feed it to my cats, when the “mouse” variety is developed. If I had a dog, I would also feed them the koji variety as well.
For the folks who believe that the agriculture industry will be reformed – dream on. It will be DECADES before that will happen. The factory farm industry is so filthy – and it is getting worse every year. Inspectors are not physically able to see the nasty parts of meat or poultry that should be discarded. (That’s another story.) In the meantime, if animals (and humans) occasionally eat this “clean” meat, that will mean fewer animals that will not be inhumanely tortured and slaughtered – not to mention the excrement that is produced.
It will be awhile before these new products can be legally put on the market, as there are still a few hoops for them to go thru first. Soon as it is on the market, I will buy it. It is the wave of the future.
Thank you, Philip, for your insightful comment.
Max
April 18, 2018 at 11:10 pm
Yes! This is the way all meat eating humans and pets will eventually have to eat any way. This Earth cannot sustain animal agriculture, not to mention the immense suffering of billions of animals because they are “livestock” even though they are just as intelligent and seek affection.
Janet
April 18, 2018 at 11:37 pm
No fake food. Not cloned food, not GMO food, not lab grown protein.
Betsy
April 19, 2018 at 9:58 am
Absolutely, I would LOVE to not feed my animals meat. If this is shown to be safe and nutritious, I’m all over it. Hopefully, it won’t be ridiculously expensive. I don’t eat meat myself, but I buy it for my animals bc I know they have to have it. But I hate that meat production equals, unequivocally, the torture of animals.
PeterSPoulos
April 19, 2018 at 10:03 am
Many seem to think this is a good idea without probably ever having seen a nutritional analysis of this substance. I haven’t yet, but having studied human nutritional needs for twenty years and feline nutritional for some time my guess is that there are nutritional gaps that cannot be met, and that in the long run pets fed a consistent diet of this substance would eventually experience degenerative health effects.
Betsy
April 19, 2018 at 10:14 am
It’s really sad how many people responding here think the meat they buy is “healthy” and “natural.” I used to have potbellied pigs. Years ago, there was a serious threat from Mad Cow and Hoof and Mouth diseases. At that time, I started reading a lot more about the godforsaken meat industry. I was blown away. Putting aside what I consider to be the main issue — the TORTURE of animals (no, they’re not just killed; they are TORTURED) — meat is extremely unhealthy. It’s amazing to me how many people either stick their heads in the sand, or are so ignorant. Try reading up on it a little bit, folks. The tortured animal you eat likely had a really horrible life (far from natural) and ingested the diseased carcass of it’s own kind. Etc. Etc. Etc.
Christine
April 19, 2018 at 10:19 am
I would absolutely approve of this for human consumption, but almost completely disapprove of it for dogs and cats. There is greater complexity to the nutrients available in diets with muscle meat, organs, blood and bone than any plant based product can provide. There are at 10 essential amino acids that a dog’s body needs to function properly that they cannot produce themselves (a cat needs 11), some of which are found only in animal proteins. These amino acids play important roles in the body, and when missing can contribute to the development of chronic illness.These must be supplemented in some way if they aren’t eating meat (most notably L-carnitine and taurine) or serious health problems and even death can occur. Though dogs can survive for a time on vegan diets, studies show a strong correlation between vegetarian diets and cardiomyopathy. It’s important to realize that when it comes to nutritional deficiencies, just because an animal seems healthy today does not mean they are well nourished on a cellular level. Like with humans, it often takes months or years of eating a substandard diet for full-blown illness or a nutritional deficiency to present itself in a pet. Feeding too many carbs feeds yeasts, creates less acidic urine that can lead to urinary problems, and with more than half of all dogs ultimately getting cancer these days, I’d shy away from plant based diets – carbs metabolize into sugars, which feed cancers.
Someone above said that dogs are vegetarians just like us, but this is not true. Taxonomically dogs are in the Order Carnivora, meaning meat eaters. Their species is Canis Lupus, the same as wolves. (Their subspecies is Canis familiarus). The appearance may have changed a great deal, but from mouth to anus remain identical in their digestive systems to their ancestors. People often point to the fact that vegetable products can be part of their diet and thing this means they are omnivores, but there are other carnivores that can take advantage of a wider variety of foods beside just “meats”. Cats are truly obligate carnivores, but dogs are hunting and scavenging carnivores, much like coyotes whose diet consist of primarily small prey animals but will take advantage of fruits, vegetables and human waste foods. Even wolves eat things like wild grapes occasionally. This means that a dog’s digestive system is more versatile than a cat’s and can utilize some plant proteins, are opportunistic in their eating habits, and thrive on variety. However, like for coyotes, permanently removing animal proteins from a coyote’s diet would be very inadvisable. Would I throw some of this vegetable based protein into their homemade diets? Maybe so, once we learn more about it when it hits the market, but I’d never rely on it as a sole protein source.
Pet Owner
April 19, 2018 at 12:38 pm
This is your comment, “Christine”, but because it’s a long read (and most people WON’T) …. I crystalized the points with numbers and caps. Thank you for articulating how a species appropriate diet fulfills requirements.
1) There are at 10 essential amino acids that a dog’s body needs to function properly that they cannot produce themselves (a cat needs 11), some of which are found only in animal proteins. These amino acids play important roles in the body, and when missing can contribute to the development of chronic illness.
2) These must be supplemented in some way if they aren’t eating meat (most notably L-carnitine and taurine) or serious health problems and even death can occur. Though dogs can survive for a time on vegan diets, studies show a strong correlation between vegetarian diets and cardiomyopathy. It’s important to realize that when it comes to nutritional deficiencies, just because an animal seems healthy today does not mean they are well nourished on a cellular level. Like with humans, it often takes months or years of eating a substandard diet for full-blown illness or a nutritional deficiency to present itself in a pet.
3) Feeding too many carbs feeds yeasts, creates less acidic urine that can lead to urinary problems, and with more than half of all dogs ultimately getting CANCER these days, I’d shy away from plant based diets – carbs metabolize into sugars, which feed CANCERS.
4) Taxonomically dogs are in the Order Carnivora, meaning meat eaters. Their species is Canis Lupus, the same as wolves. (Their subspecies is Canis familiarus). The appearance may have changed a great deal, but from mouth to anus remain identical in their digestive systems to their ancestors.
5) Dogs are HUNTING and scavenging carnivores, much like coyotes whose diet consist of primarily small prey animals but will take advantage of fruits, vegetables and human waste foods. Even wolves eat things like wild grapes occasionally. This means that a dog’s digestive system is more versatile than a cat’s and can utilize some plant proteins, are opportunistic in their eating habits, and thrive on variety.
PeterSPoulos
April 19, 2018 at 1:00 pm
Assuming that just because it is fit for human consumption that it would be wise to feed to your pets I think is the first mistake. Is this all the humans were eating? I think not. But that is what would happen to pets. Everyday a big bowl of koji gruel.
Pet Owner
April 19, 2018 at 1:29 pm
We’re not the pet parents of fur babies. We love them (of course) while cuddling with us watching TV and guilting us into beautiful recreation outside! I get it. With tears still thinking about the loss of one of my two companions. But in truth we are the responsible owners of an ancient species which hasn’t survived eons through a path of comfortable amenities. We live in idealistic times, but misplace effective action and correction. As a result it costs us more while distracting from core issues. It is not our job to accept the burden of factory farming through workarounds that equal compromise. Spend time and energy directed at specific parties, through appropriate representation, while mandating lawfulness and truth. You don’t like what’s happening now … then vote for change. But continue to old them accountable, and not entitled to being termed out.
The prosecution (and principle) of animal cruelty applies in every area. From corporate accountability to individual pet ownership. While you’d report a back yard animal abuser; but how about your neighbor losing a factory farming job? If you can dissuade consumers by revealing truth, do so. In the meantime support your local and humane providers, and accept personal moderation! No human needs meat at the current consumption levels. So try talking your neighbor out of a deli-meat filled sandwich for lunch, too! More to the point, don’t cater to your fur baby as just one more child in the household. Honor intrinsic needs, physical and instinctual, which is the drive for survival and protection. YOU know the pet is being fed 7/365, but the animal doesn’t! The problems of a degrading global environment aren’t solved by changing up Fido’s food bowl. But by planning for authentic leadership into the next decade. It will take the effort of leveraging global interests (including trade and sanctions) at a political, social and economic level; indeed very complicated business. And while 7/10th of the world is reveling in growing pollution to gain their own advantages, neither isolate your awareness, avoid education, or function under the burden of other’s misdeeds, which are totally out of your control. At the same time, remember dogs don’t have free to choose between a vegan over meat diet. And if you already assume their preference, put two bowls down side by side, and watch what happens!
Yvonne McGehee
April 19, 2018 at 3:14 pm
It would depend on what the amino acid profile is, how it compares to high biological value animal protein such as eggs. Also, things present in meat but possibly missing in the fungi, such as Vitamin B12, would have to be added.
Muriel Reilly
April 19, 2018 at 3:55 pm
Yes!
and thank you Philip, brilliant comment! I do hope everyone reads it thoroughly.
Philip Steir
April 20, 2018 at 11:55 am
Thank you…I hope they read it and are taking the time to reflect and to see how positive this is.
Kenneth Cole
April 20, 2018 at 11:07 am
Reluctant without full approval. Generally Boycott Any & Everything from Calif. Keep up your Tenacious EFFORTS Susan always informative. You are a Grand Liason for OUR ‘PET People’. Patriot , Ken
Terri Christenson Janson
April 20, 2018 at 11:56 am
Yes I think I would. I have gone vegetarian because of all the factory farming and it breaks my heart. I hate giving the same kind of meat to my dogs. I homecook and use ground beef and I always think about the abuse these animal go through.
Teresa Johnson
April 20, 2018 at 8:18 pm
Sometime back in my history, I attended an ecumenical conference. One of the talks I attended, the speaker said he’d been approached more than once that based on his spiritual beliefs he must be vegetarian (if not vegan). He was not. He addressed the issue thusly: It is like a war, something must give up it’s life in order to sustain another…whether that be a vegetable or an animal. I think the same would/should hold true for the koi fungus. Isn’t it giving of it’s life to sustain another? Would I consume it or feed it to my pets? No. Vegetables are vegetables. Meats are meats. Cultured things are not either however we label them.
That being said, there is a great need to raise our “meat crops” more humanely, give those animals a good, healthy and comfortable life for their time before becoming a food source. Factory farming is definitely NOT healthy for the animals raised that way nor for the consumers of those animals.
We must learn to adjust our thinking when an animal life is given to sustain another by celebrating that sacrifice and making each and every day/meal one of thanks giving. We need to recognize that we, humans, do not need to consume the volumes we do of any food source in order to survive and stay healthy. Most animals, including those we keep as pets, will only consume what is necessary to live, not gorge. And better quality ingredients in food sources satisfy more completely with less total consumption. Unnatural and adulterated foods too often lead to over eating, illness, dissatisfaction… whether consumed by humans or other animals.
Cannoliamo
April 20, 2018 at 8:45 pm
Sometime in my graduate school history, I learned that with the projected human population growth, sometime in the early 21st century the world’s human population would exceed the ability of natural interdependent ecosystems to supply sufficient food, and synthetic nutritional sources would have to be developed for sustenance unless humans were able to control their own population growth. Unfortunately the demand for pets and companion animals correlates strongly and proportionately to human population growth.
Marsha
April 21, 2018 at 7:31 pm
NO, I would not. Reminds me of the TVP( Textured Vegetable Protein ), they used in school burgers and meats. Kids would not eat them because they knew there was not real meat in them.
Elaine Stevens
April 23, 2018 at 11:07 am
Yes, I would. We kill many other animals to get dog and cat food. If it was properly tested and science found it safe I would try it. Using cattle for food has long been considered unsustainable in the long run. Definitely not good for the planet.
Olga Fraga Sánchez
July 21, 2019 at 5:46 am
Yes!! I hope we will have this type of options available in the europeans markets. It is not perfect but it would reduce the animal suffering