Sustainable ingredients sourcing: a re-think?
Regional is good, global is bad. Many people would like it to be as simple as that but of course it is not. So which value standards and criteria should a responsible brand manufacturer apply in selecting suppliers who are open to sustainable raw material procurement?
Because we can?
As with human food, there has for some time now been a demand for superfoods such as chia, pomegranate and krill or exotic meat sources such as ostrich, kangaroo and water buffalo. A grain-free mega trend brought sweet potatoes, amaranth or even teff into the sights of producers and pet owners. The driver of this development has been the humanisation of pets on the one hand and the search for hypoallergenic raw materials on the other hand.
But today’s customers demand transparency in the supply chain and want to know about the ecological footprint of products. So, a ‘because we can’ mode is currently undergoing a re-think: superfoods, such as blueberries and blackberries, or insects as a source of protein, are still being sourced, but regionally, from Europe.
No borders
In general, the earth does not care where in the world CO2 is emitted during raw material production. Your task as a sustainable brand owner, however, is to know the carbon footprint of your raw materials and to reduce the carbon footprint of your pet foods through a clever selection of ingredients and animal-friendly formulae.
Sourcing slaughter by-products outside Europe creates additional income in those countries. In return, it should be important that the social and ethical conditions in the slaughterhouses in the countries of origin are as high as in Europe. Generally, though, less meat and more plant power in animal feed is still a more effective contribution to environmental protection. High meat production can mean the deforestation of rainforests in the Amazon for cheap soy.
Differentiate through added value
In reality, ‘regional’ and ‘global’ are not mutually exclusive but are two sides of the same coin. All value-added cycles worldwide are systemically networked with one another. Nor is real differentiation achieved through exotic ingredients. A more sensible approach would be to seek differentiation through real added value in function and service instead of through exotic ingredients. This would be real progress!
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