Clinical research
Fresher breath, less itching, better digestion — backed by published clinical trials. Explore the science behind Friends & Family cultivated-meat pet treats.
Every functional claim on our packaging traces back to a peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled canine trial. Here's the research — read it for yourself.
Functional postbiotics
The daily postbiotics in our Skin & Coat Glow and Teeth & Gum Care treats have been evaluated in controlled canine trials across three areas of everyday wellness. Each study below is open-access; the full paper is one click away.
Over a 14-day trial, dogs given the oral postbiotic saw the volatile sulfur compounds behind bad breath drop significantly by day 7, while the placebo group's rose. Twice as many dogs had perceptibly fresher breath by the end of the first week — evidence the ingredient works on the oral microbiome rather than just masking odour.
Learn more: Oral care for dogs · Oral care for cats
In dogs with elevated but subclinical itching, the immune postbiotic cut wearable-tracked scratching by 20% from baseline and human-perceived itch by 27% versus placebo by day 28. Coat quality improved noticeably from day 14, and gut-microbiome diversity increased — supporting the gut–skin link at the heart of our skin range.
Learn more: Skin care for dogs · Skin care for cats
In otherwise-healthy dogs prone to loose stools, the same immune postbiotic improved Waltham fecal scores by day 28 and reshaped the gut microbiome — 16 taxa shifted versus just one on placebo — while gut-health biomarkers stayed comfortably within the normal range. Firmer stools, a healthier gut, no disruption.
Learn more: Skin care for dogs · Skin care for cats
Cultivated meat
Independent, peer-reviewed research on cultivated meat — its protein quality, nutrition and safety — alongside the regulatory approvals now in place in our markets. Our own quail-specific studies are in progress and will be added here as they publish.
The first study to directly measure how cultivated-meat protein digests. Using a standardised lab model of the gut, cultivated protein was broken down more completely than conventional pork, soy, egg, whey and casein (≈88% at the intestinal stage), releasing more small peptides, free amino acids and potentially bioactive peptides — the same amino-acid-rich profile behind the savoury depth and digestibility of our treats. (Study used cultivated pork in an in-vitro model.)
Read on PubMed ↗A synthesis of the evidence on cultivated meat and human health. Because its composition can be tuned during production, the authors describe real potential to dial nutrition up — richer in beneficial fats like omega-3, lower in saturated fat — while noting that long-term human-health data is still emerging. A clear-eyed look at both the promise and the open questions.
Read the review ↗A five-year map of the whole field. It weighs cultivated meat's benefits — lower environmental impact, better animal welfare, and the ability to customise nutrition — against the honest challenges of scale-up, cost and cross-market regulation, linking production methods directly to food quality and safety. The most complete single overview of where the science stands today.
Read the review ↗Cultivated meat isn't sold anywhere until a national food-safety authority reviews it. Here's the independent evidence — including the approval of cultivated quail, the exact category we work in, across our own markets.
Ask our AI anything — how it's made, what's in it, and whether it's right for your cat or dog. Answers in seconds.
The postbiotic studies evaluate the specific bioactive ingredients used in our treats, tested in dogs, and describe nutritional support for everyday wellness — not a diagnosis, treatment, or substitute for veterinary care. The cultivated-meat papers are independent research on the category as a whole; several use species and models other than our own, and are shown to explain the science behind cultivated protein, not as claims about our specific products. Always talk to your vet about your pet's health.
