worldofvector mouse | Deposit Photos
Many veterinary nutritionists say the ideal feline diet would be “mouse in a can.” While mouse farming has not caught on, it looks like cats may get their ideal diet via a laboratory. The Pet Food Industry reports that the company Because Animals is working on this development.
“Currently, cultured meat is expensive, including cultured mouse,” Because Animals CEO Sharon Falconer says. “But one of our biggest assets is that we’re working with tissue from a species where a lot is already known in terms of biochemistry.”
The project involves growing a thin layer of mouse meat tissue that is then incorporated into feline treats. The first step toward production is to achieve USDA/FDA approval of cultured mouse meat as GRAS (generally regarded as safe).
There are advantages to culture-grown meat. “Cell-cultured meat will be the highest quality meat on the market—fully traceable, antibiotic- and hormone-free, and absolutely clear of pathogenic bacteria such as Listeria and Salmonella,” Falconer says.
