Bond Pet Foods and Hill’s Pet Nutrition have secured a Letter of No Objection from the US Food and Drug Administration’s Center for Veterinary Medicine for Lamb Protein Yeast, a fermentation-derived animal protein ingredient developed for use in dog food. The clearance is the first FDA GRAS notice completion for a precision fermentation protein ingredient targeting the pet food market.
The ingredient was developed through a collaboration between Boulder, Colorado-based Bond Pet Foods and Hill’s Pet Nutrition, a subsidiary of Colgate-Palmolive, which was first announced in 2021. Bond uses optimized yeast cultures to produce proteins nutritionally comparable to those from conventional animal sources, applying fermentation methods already established in human food production for applications such as enzyme and vitamin manufacturing.
FDA review confirmed the ingredient is suitable for use at inclusion levels of up to 15% of finished dog food. The two companies have also completed a feeding study in cats using the same ingredient and are preparing to submit a separate dossier to the Center for Veterinary Medicine to support feline use.
Six-month feeding study underpins approval
The GRAS determination followed a six-month longitudinal feeding study in dogs. During development, Bond produced the ingredient at commercial scale and delivered more than 25 metric tons to Hill’s facilities for formulation, testing, and regulatory evaluation.
“The results of our six-month feeding study, together with the FDA’s Letter of No Objection, demonstrate the safety and nutritional performance of our brewed proteins and bring us a significant step closer to delivering a reliable source of high-quality protein for pets,” said Rich Kelleman, Founder and CEO of Bond Pet Foods.
Hill’s framed the clearance within its broader sustainability objectives. “Lamb Protein Yeast expands the range of science-backed nutritional options we can deliver, supporting our sustainability objectives while maintaining the rigorous nutritional standards for which Hill’s is known,” said Dave Baloga, Executive Vice President of Science and Technology at Hill’s Pet Nutrition.
Pet food becomes a test case for fermentation proteins
The pet food sector has become an active area for precision fermentation proteins, in part because the regulatory pathway through the FDA’s Center for Veterinary Medicine is distinct from human food approval processes and has, in some cases, moved faster. Bond’s clearance for Lamb Protein Yeast follows a growing number of companies exploring fermentation-derived ingredients for companion animal nutrition.
The Bond-Hill’s clearance represents the first confirmed FDA GRAS completion specifically for a precision fermentation protein in this category.
With regulatory status now established for dogs, Hill’s and Bond are moving toward commercial launch in the US market. Work to support approval for use in cat food is ongoing.
