Dogs and cats everywhere, rejoice. Bond Pets, a Colorado-based startup, has its eyes set on bringing lab-grown, clean protein to pets nationwide. Described as “Pet food made from real animal protein, without the animal,” Bond Pets is an entirely new breed of food hoping to make mealtime extra special for cats and dogs.
The developing brand was founded by Rich Kelleman, who was inspired to action after struggling with his wife to find healthy and transparent foods for their pets. Kelleman found that lots of these foods had bad, unhealthy ingredients in them, and that even the “healthier” brands had sketchy, unclear sciences behind their labels. Pet foods across the board, expensive and are notorious for being filled with animal leftovers including animal bones, beaks, hair, and manure. Needless to say, these kinds of proteins are dirty and are no good for our pets.
While lab-grown meat is still a new concept to many, the science behind it is already deeply developed. Kelleman explained, “I thought…it was a bit like science fiction, something that would be cool for the future.” He continued, “I didn’t think it would have practical application now.”
It’s far closer to practical than science fiction, with other brands like Hampton Creek and Memphis Meats working with similar technologies. Essentially, these folks are able to produce actual animal meat through the use of cells. This means that the animals — who would traditionally be bred, farmed, and slaughtered — are safe.
Ryan Yamka, who works with Bond Pets, says that people shouldn’t be surprised to see a company trying to incorporate pets into the thriving food culture we’re seeing today. “Pet food has always been quick follower to the human food trends,” he said. “So it’s not surprising that you see…what I would call the sustainable- food movement getting into the pet-food side.”
