Sustainability in pet food

Stewards of the Earth

Needless to say, we all want our pets to lead long and healthy lives. That requires access to good, high-quality foods that are as natural as possible, digestible, balanced, fortified and producing the smallest stools possible. 

We also want to be good stewards of the Earth’s resources. However, the pet industry’s marketing choices are often at odds with a sustainable future, resulting in several issues as outlined here.

Ingredient choices

In the US, market niches push us towards a ‘humanisation model’ where pets eat what humans might eat. Self-proclaimed internet experts have repeatedly demonised the pet food industry, and the industry’s own marketing claims have demonised many of the largest, most efficient food crops (for example, corn, wheat, rice, soybean) – without scientific evidence – as being ‘bad’ for pets.

The push towards ‘grain-free’ has moved us from efficient and abundant crops to less efficient ones with limited volumes. On the positive side, new and more sustainable fish sources (for example Alaska pollock) have entered the market under tight sustainability requirements (Marine Steward Council).

Nutrition choices

Although dogs certainly like the taste of meats and fats, many scientific studies have shown that they might live a longer life with fewer health problems by eating a lower calorie diet with an adequate protein food regime. Yet over the last two decades, the protein levels in pet foods have climbed higher and higher, creating pressure on various protein ingredients which is unlikely sustainable.

Acceptability choices

The US’s pet food regulations define ‘byproducts’ as secondary products produced in addition to the principal product. Some meat ingredients are defined as ‘meal’ versus ‘byproduct meal’, even though many meat and plant products are secondary products. Improper marketing has opportunistically demonised the term byproduct leading to negative consumer acceptance in pet food – which is at odds with today’s general trend towards encouraging efficient use of the whole animal in human food. 

Efficiency choices

Unlike in farm animal production, improving food utilisation in pets has never been a major marketing consideration, but processing, enzymes, hydrolysis and supplementation (with L-carnitine, for example) can produce many improvements. Meanwhile, over 20 million tonnes of pet food are produced each year in the US alone. With an average digestibility of 80%, that means that 4 million tonnes of excrement are produced that often end up in landfill sites. 

There are some encouraging new initiatives to utilise food waste from grocery chains that can be used to produce pet foods. We should be open to all ingredients including proteins from insects, bacteria, yeast and sustainable fish. We must improve processing efficiency while delivering more digestible products. We must take account of shelf-life limitations. We should educate pet parents to understand caloric intake, digestion, food utilisation and proper balance. Lastly, I firmly believe we must shift from negative marketing concepts to positive ones.