As pet parents, we want to provide our pets with the best of everything, that includes the best food possible. Grain-free, human-grade, hypoallergenic, nothing is too good for our furry friend. However, with the continuing rise in the number of companion animals, it’s becoming harder to ignore the environmental impact of Fido’s food.
What Is The Environmental Impact Of Pet Food?
Our pet’s meat-based diets have a significant negative impact on the environment, requiring the use of considerable land, water, and energy resources. Wet foods are considered to be more impactive than dry, as are those made with human-grade ingredients as opposed to those that utilise byproducts or alternative protein sources.
Most of us have probably considered the environmental impact of our pet’s poop, or what is the best eco-friendly dog poop bag. However, many of us probably haven’t ever stopped to consider the environmental impact of our pet’s diet. As pet owners, we have the power to make informed choices that benefit our pets and the planet, so let’s dive in and learn more about the environmental impact of pet food.
The Rise Of The Fur Baby
Pets provide us with companionship, improve our physical and mental well-being and even expand our social circle. We love them so much we consider them family, with many preferring to call themselves pet parents rather than owners. And the new generation of pet parents are spending more on their fur babies than ever before.
The anthropomorphic way in which we treat our pets has influenced pet food producers to adapt and formulate foods that are more appealing to the modern pet parent. The mere mention of ‘fillers’ is enough to provoke an all-out viral debate. And many brands make bold claims about the benefits of feeding their food but rarely release data to support claims.
Pet food is marketed to play on the emotions of pet owners, using images and language to appeal to our desire to provide only the very best for our furry bundles of joy. Many brands are now offering grain-free and organic options, as well as foods containing human-grade ingredients. Pet owners are easily seduced by product names such as ‘Fish Pie’, ‘Chicken Pate’, ‘Lamb Hotpot’, and ‘Sunday Roast’. This can lead to pet owners choosing more expensive diets that may not be nutritionally necessary and can vastly exceed nutritional requirements.
How Much Protein Do Dogs Need?
The Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) recommends a dog’s diet includes 18% crude protein on a dry matter basis (protein content when all moisture is removed), allowing for differences in nutrient bioavailability among ingredients. However, many brands unnecessarily exceed this amount.
Despite the recommended allowance for protein, pet food manufacturers often formulate foods that can far exceed nutritional requirements, with some containing more than double. This is further fueled by people’s beliefs that their dogs are obligate carnivores rather than the omnivores they truly are.
While it has been suggested that higher protein diets can benefit dogs with certain conditions, such as being overweight, or enable faster recovery in working dogs, for the average pooch it really isn’t required. One study even suggests that long-term consumption of a high-protein diet may have negative impacts on canine health, causing increased inflammation and kidney dysfunction.
Wet Vs. Dry Dog Food
Although dry food is the most popular choice among pet owners due to its ease and convenience, wet diets are suggested to be on the rise. Wet food is regarded as more palatable and can offer benefits such as added hydration. However, the choice between wet and dry pet food can significantly alter your pet’s impact on the environment.
A recent study found that wet food is seven times more impactive than dry food. Estimating that the average 10kg canine on a dry food diet would be responsible for 828 kg of CO2 equivalent (eq) per year. However, the same dog on a wet food diet would emit 6,541 kg of CO2eq per year. One of the key factors for this is that 89% of the calories in a wet food diet came from animal products, compared to 45% in dry food.
Additionally, the study also found that the type of protein used in pet food has a greater impact on the environment than the type of food we choose. Pet foods containing animal-based proteins have a greater carbon footprint than plant-based or insect proteins as they require far more resources, such as energy, land, and water. It’s suggested that the production of 100g of pea protein is responsible for 0.3 kg CO2eq and insects 0.9 kg CO2eq, compared to 100g of poultry protein being responsible for 4.3 kg CO2eq and beef 42.2 kg CO2eq.
However, the impact of our pet’s diet is not just limited to our choice between a wet or a dry diet, or even the type of protein we use. The grade of the ingredients we choose is also a big factor. And pet parents’ newfound preference for human-grade ingredients is significantly increasing the size of their pet’s carbon pawprint.
Human-Grade Ingredients Vs. Byproducts
So, what is the difference between human-grade ingredients and byproducts? Well, these foods fall into one of two categories, edible or inedible. Edible being foods that humans can eat, and inedible being foods that non-human animals can eat. Human-grade ingredients fall into the edible category, whereas byproducts fall into the inedible category.
One of the key differences is how these foods are handled and processed. Human-grade foods (edible) are more regulated and are handled and processed in a way that keeps them safe and nutritious for humans to eat. Byproducts (inedible) are handled and processed in a different supply chain that is less stringent in its regulation.
While pet foods containing human-grade ingredients are increasing in popularity they directly compete with the human food system, requiring a vast amount of energy and resources. However, foods made with byproducts are more sustainable, as they utilise protein sources that would otherwise be wasted.
Despite byproducts being more sustainable not everyone is a fan due to concerns that they can be less regulated than foods fit for human consumption. In the UK, The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) defines animal byproducts as:
“Animal carcasses, parts of animals, or other materials which come from animals but are not meant for humans to eat.”
This can include products originally meant for human consumption and offal, but also animal hides, hooves, and even horns. While some don’t see an issue with this, byproducts are often viewed negatively by consumers. Many prefer to see human-grade or “whole” ingredients listed on the label and choose to provide a diet that is more reflective of their own. Here comes the aforementioned ‘Lamb Hotpot’.
Human-grade ingredients can provide a higher level of quality and safety assurance for pet parents. Additionally, there are suggested health benefits to pet foods made with human-grade ingredients, such as better digestibility. However, this is not to say that all dry pet foods don’t score high in digestibility, but many brands either don’t share such proprietary information or haven’t tested the digestibility of their own products (more often the case with smaller brands). This makes it very difficult for consumers to make an informed decision.
Pet owners trying to navigate the complicated world of pet food can easily feel overwhelmed. So, the allure of premium pet foods containing human-grade ingredients is understandable. After all, we all want to ensure our dogs are happy and healthy. However, whichever you choose, animal proteins have quite the environmental impact, albeit human-grade ingredients have a bit more punch.
Environmental Impact of Animal Agriculture
With more than 470 million dogs worldwide and most being fed traditional meaty meals, pet food production has a significant environmental impact. Our pet’s meat-based diets require a lot of livestock, and all that livestock requires a vast amount of resources, as well as generating a lot of waste and pollution.
Animal agriculture is one of the biggest drivers in biodiversity loss, requiring large areas of land to be cleared for grazing and feed production. Habitat destruction and the loss of forests and large areas of grasslands significantly impact ecosystems and all their wildlife. A shocking 86% of species at risk of extinction are said to be affected by agriculture. While for the most part, it is the human food system that is driving deforestation for livestock production, the pet food system isn’t helping. Especially with our newfound taste for pet foods containing human-grade ingredients.
Different farm animal species require different amounts of energy and water to be raised, which contributes to their overall environmental impact. Research suggests that for every 1 kcal of protein produced by beef cattle, it requires an input of 40 kcal of fossil energy, pork 14 kcal, turkey 10 kcal, chickens 4 kcal, and lamb being the worst needing 57 kcal. Additionally, animal agriculture is responsible for 29% of the world’s water footprint, producing a single kilo of beef requires an average of 15,415 litres of water.
Livestock production is also responsible for producing significant amounts of greenhouse gases, including carbon dioxide (CO2) and methane (CH₄). The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations estimates that animal agriculture produces 7.1 Gigatonnes of CO2eq per year, which accounts for 14.5% of all anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions. However, 2.9% of these global animal agricultural emissions are suggested to be linked to the production of dry pet food.
These figures cannot be overlooked. When our pets’ diets rely solely on animal proteins and human-grade ingredients, we are further exacerbating an already exhausted system. However, there are new pet foods on the rise that could potentially be more sustainable, while meeting nutritional requirements.
Alternative Sustainable Protein Sources
As awareness of the environmental impact of pet food production grows, more pet food companies are exploring alternative protein sources that have the potential to be more sustainable and have a lower environmental impact.
Insect Based Dog Food
One promising alternative protein source for pet food is insect protein. Insects are a highly efficient protein source, requiring less feed and water than traditional livestock, and producing fewer greenhouse gas emissions. While insects are not a common ingredient in pet food, some companies are beginning to formulate foods containing insect protein. And for very good reason.
Research has shown that insect protein contains enough protein, essential amino acids, and taurine to meet, and even exceed, our pets’ nutritional requirements. Additionally, the digestibility of insect proteins (black soldier fly larvae and yellow mealworms) have been shown to be comparable to higher-quality animal protein meals. One study even found that dry food containing insect protein had higher digestibility values than dry food containing venison meal.
However, more research is needed to fully understand the nutritional benefits and potential risks of insect protein for pets. In addition, insect protein may take some selling to get pet parents on board, especially as we like to anthropomorphise our furry friends’ diets (here comes that ‘Lamb Hotpot’ again).
Plant-Based Dog Food
Another alternative protein source for pet food is plant-based proteins. Plant-based protein sources, such as soy, peas, and lentils, are becoming increasingly popular in pet food, as they have a lower environmental impact than traditional meat-based ingredients.
Domestic canines are classified as omnivores and can consume both animal and plant-based foods. This means that nutritionally they can obtain all their essential nutrient requirements from plants. However, some dogs may display a preference for meaty foods and find them more palatable.
Research comparing two freshly prepared plant-based dog foods to a meat-based dry food found that both plant-based foods contained more protein than the meat-based dry food. Additionally, the protein, energy, and essential amino acid levels of the plant-based foods met or exceeded AAFCO guidelines.
In the follow-up study, both plant-based foods were shown to have digestibility values above 80% (which is considered moderately high). Other positive changes observed include reduced cholesterol and triglyceride levels, as well as an increase in fecal microbiome diversity. While these results are very positive, it is worth noting that these studies used freshly prepared, high-quality, human-grade ingredients, that were gently cooked. As a rule, when pet foods are prepared in this way, they perform better than processed dry foods, whether animal or plant-based.
However, in terms of sustainability, this is a step in the right direction. More research is clearly needed, but plant-based proteins look like they have the potential to meet the nutritional requirements of our canine companions. Although research suggests dogs fed a plant-based diet live longer, some pet owners may not like the idea of feeding their dogs a plant-based diet, especially those that see their dogs as ‘little wolves’.
Final Thoughts
It’s never been more important for pet food to become more sustainable and limit its environmental impact. Feeding a diet that relies entirely on human-grade ingredients directly competes with the human food system and increases the carbon pawprint of our furry friends. Pet foods containing byproducts, while not perfect, somewhat piggyback off the human food system and utilise protein sources that would otherwise be wasted.
Alternative protein sources from insect and plant-based sources have great potential, but both have pros and cons. Utilising alternative protein sources can reduce the environmental impact of pet food and provide pet owners with more sustainable options. Conversely, alternative protein sources may not be as well tested or understood as traditional meat-based ingredients, and some pet parents may be hesitant to try new and unfamiliar ingredients.
One option that has been suggested is to feed a range of foods, rotate products, and mix different products together. This works well for two reasons. First, including a range of foods in your dog’s diet offers benefits in terms of palatability for your dog as well as ensuring they receive adequate nutrition. Additionally, rotating foods can help elevate the environmental pressures that come with relying on a single food source.
However, this may not work for everyone. Those of you with pets that have conditions, such as sensitive tums or itchy skin, may find that you can’t rotate foods as easily. You must do what is best for your individual circumstance. There is no one size fits all solution.
Ultimately, your choice of pet food is a personal one. And pet owners should choose a diet that meets their pets’ nutritional needs and aligns with their personal values. However, by considering the environmental impact of different pet foods and exploring alternative protein sources, pet owners can make more informed choices that benefit both their pets and the planet.