In this episode of Future of Foods Interviews, I talk to Helder Cruz, Chief Scientific Officer of Meatly, a company at the forefront of the cultivated pet food revolution. Meatly is making history by producing cultivated chicken pet food with zero animal involvement, offering a completely slaughter-free, ethical, and sustainable alternative to traditional meat-based pet food. It’s on sale now in the UK.

Meatly is scaling up production and expects to reach price parity with conventional chicken within the next 12 months—a milestone that could transform the cultivated meat industry. Their innovative approach doesn’t just promise to reduce the environmental impact of meat production but also ensures a safer, cleaner product free from antibiotics and factory farming concerns.

Helder Cruz has been a pioneer in making cultivated meat a reality, working at the cutting edge of biotechnology to turn a once-futuristic idea into an accessible, real-world product. In this conversation, we explore the science behind Meatly’s cultivated chicken, the challenges of scaling up, and what the future holds for lab-grown pet food.