The FDA has issued a letter of no objection for the first precision fermentation-derived lamb protein intended for adult dog food, following a successful six-month feeding study. Hill’s Pet Nutrition and Bond Pet Foods, a biotechnology company innovating in the field of animal proteins through precision fermentation, announced that Bond received the FDA's Center for Veterinary Medicine Letter of No Objection for its Lamb Protein Yeast ingredient.
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The product, developed in partnership with Hill’s, successfully completed a six-month longitudinal study and was granted no objection to its Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) Notice. Rich Kelleman, Founder and CEO of Bond, expressed excitement about reaching this regulatory milestone, highlighting the safety and nutritional performance demonstrated by the study results.
Lamb Protein Yeast is the first ingredient from the collaboration between Hill’s and Bond to complete the FDA’s GRAS Notice review process for use in healthy adult dogs. The findings support its inclusion in dog food at levels up to 15%. This is part of a multi-year effort utilizing precision fermentation, a technique often used for producing enzymes and vitamins, which results in an animal protein with a complete amino acid profile that is nutritionally comparable to traditional lamb.
In addition to the dog-focused study, Bond and Hill’s have also conducted a feeding study involving cats and are preparing to submit further information to the FDA to support feline use. Dave Baloga, Executive Vice President of Science and Technology at Hill's, noted that this achievement reflects their commitment to science-led innovation in pet nutrition and expands the range of nutritional options available while advancing sustainability goals.
The collaboration was announced in 2021, with the aim of creating alternative solutions that meet pet dietary needs using scientifically established processes, reducing reliance on traditional animal protein sources. Since their partnership began, they have produced Lamb Protein Yeast on a commercial scale, delivering over 25 metric tons to Hill’s facilities for formulation and testing.