In a groundbreaking development that could revolutionize the pet food industry, Bond Pet Foods has achieved a significant milestone by delivering its first two metric tons of animal protein produced through fermentation to Hill’s Pet Nutrition. This marks a pivotal moment in their collaboration, as Hill’s begins formulating test products with this innovative and sustainable ingredient for regulatory review and market evaluation.

Rich Kelleman, Founder and CEO of Bond Pet Foods, expressed his excitement about this achievement: “Producing tons of product at the 45,000 Liter scale is a major milestone in the Bond-Hill’s collaboration.” The delivery represents a significant step towards commercializing Bond’s fermentation technology for pet food applications, paving the way for a more sustainable future in pet nutrition.

The collaboration between Bond and Hill’s, which was announced in late 2021, focuses on developing a sustainable source of animal protein to meet the dietary needs of dogs and cats. This partnership is not only a testament to their commitment to innovation but also to their shared vision of a more environmentally friendly approach to pet food production.

The two metric tons of protein produced by Bond is more than just a large-scale delivery; it's the beginning of a transformative journey in the pet food industry. Hill’s Pet Nutrition, renowned for its leadership in science-based, precise, and balanced nutrition, will now formulate a variety of products at its Pet Nutrition Center in Topeka, KS, for thorough evaluation. This step is crucial for the ingredient’s eventual review by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine and for preparing prototypes for market evaluation.

Dave Baloga, Executive Vice President of Science & Technology at Hill's Pet Nutrition, shared his enthusiasm for the ongoing partnership: “We are excited to continue our relationship with Bond and support their truly novel approach to produce animal proteins in a more sustainable way that meets our high-quality standards.”

Furthermore, Bond and Hill’s have announced a second joint development agreement to create an additional animal protein, showcasing the potential and scalability of this technology. According to Bond, their precision fermentation platform is a safe and established method, building off a process used for over half a century in various applications, now reimagined to efficiently produce proteins like chicken, turkey, and beef for pet food, without the need for traditional animal farming.

This innovation comes at a crucial time, as the environmental impact of pet food production is significant. In the U.S. alone, households with 74 million dogs and 56 million cats consume substantial amounts of animal-based protein, contributing up to 30% of the carbon dioxide emissions associated with domestic meat consumption, as noted in a 2017 study published in the scientific journal PLUS One. The collaboration between Bond Pet Foods and Hill’s Pet Nutrition is not just a step forward in pet food technology, but a giant leap towards reducing the carbon pawprint of our beloved pets.