Pet food for thought

Ethics of anthropomorphism

Traditionally, pet foods relied on livestock farming by-products linked to the human food system, thus helping to offset the industry’s environmental burden. But as pet owners increasingly demand high quality ingredients and high meat content, so pet and human food systems are finding themselves in direct competition for more rapidly depleting resources. Related problems also arise, including overconsumption, obesity, food waste and the high economic cost of protein production.

At the same time, consumer awareness of ethical and sustainability issues is putting pressure on manufacturers to respond. The result is a growing demand for alternative protein sources.

Is plant-based better?

Plant-based food has a lower environmental impact. For instance, the production of 1 kg of animal protein requires 100 times more water than 1 kg of grain protein. Unfortunately, there is no widespread belief that plant-based foods make proper pet meals. Only one in three vegan pet owners opt for such diets. There is a need for more evidence of nutritional adequacy, veterinary approval and greater availability of plant-based pet food options.

The clean protein alternative

Clean or cultured meat is grown in the laboratory using biotechnology, without raising and slaughtering animals. The clean protein, plant- or animal-based, could easily take over 30-50% of the market. Importantly, as clean meat is produced in a controlled environment, it will not cause a product recall due to chemical or bacterial contamination. Since pets do not need perfectly realistic texture or aestetics, cultured meat is likely to appear in their foods sooner than in humans’.

A way forward

This emergence of alternative protein is certainly timely. A growing demand for sustainable pet foods, possible future regulatory restrictions to expansion of animal meat production, as well as alternative protein sources for human food supply; all point to the likelihood of a smaller relative availability of by-products from human food production in future, leading to higher prices.

New ingredients offer a way forward by improving the sustainability of pet foods sources. Alternative protein might be obtained from by-products currently viewed as waste, but also from the development of new protein sources with a low environmental impact. Such alternatives may include insects, cultured meat, algae protein, myco-protein (derived from fungi) and wood-eating yeast. Whatever the choice, the future foods must be nutritious, but also comply with a new set of requirements.