Rethinking protein in pet food: from nutrition to resilience

Meat production places a heavy burden on the environment, accounting for a significant share of global greenhouse gas emissions while requiring vast amounts of land and freshwater.

Staying within planetary boundaries will require a reduction in overall meat consumption – a shift that is already underway.

This transition is not limited to human diets. It is beginning to reshape the pet food industry as well.

A growing tension

The pet food industry has long relied on animal byproducts as a core protein source. This has been an efficient model – turning secondary streams into valuable nutrition.

However, several structural shifts are now creating pressure on this system.

Consumer preferences are evolving toward more sustainable lifestyles. At the same time, global factors such as climate change, geopolitical instability and trade disruptions are increasing volatility in agricultural supply chains.

As a result, the availability and predictability of animal-based raw materials cannot be taken for granted.

For pet food manufacturers, this raises a critical question: How can future growth be secured if the underlying protein supply becomes increasingly constrained?

Nutritional requirements cannot be compromised

Any shift in protein sourcing must start from a non-negotiable baseline: pet health. Dogs and especially cats require high-quality protein sources with complete amino acid profiles and high digestibility. Replacing animal-based ingredients is not simply a matter of matching crude protein levels – it requires functional equivalence at a biological level.

These can include lower digestibility, imbalanced amino acid profiles and the need for supplementation. While they play an important role, they are not always sufficient as standalone solutions.

This creates a gap between sustainability ambitions and nutritional requirements.

Fermentation: decoupling protein from agriculture

A new class of ingredients is emerging that addresses both sides of this equation.

Fungal protein, produced through fermentation, offers a way to decouple high-quality protein production from traditional agriculture. Instead of relying on arable land or livestock, production takes place in controlled environments, using significantly fewer natural resources.

From a nutritional perspective, fungal protein can provide: a complete amino acid profile, high digestibility and functional properties suitable for pet food formulations.

From a sustainability perspective, the impact can be substantially lower than conventional meat production – with significantly reduced land, water and emissions footprints.

From sustainability to supply security

While sustainability is often the starting point for alternative proteins, resilience is becoming an equally important driver.

Fermentation-based production offers several advantages in this regard: independence from seasonal variability, reduced exposure to global commodity fluctuation and potential for localized production closer to end markets.

For manufacturers, this means greater control over supply and less vulnerability to external shocks.

In other words, the conversation is shifting from “Is this more sustainable?” to “Is this a more reliable way to build future supply?”

A complementary, not replacement, approach

It is unlikely that any single ingredient will replace animal-based proteins entirely. Nor is that necessarily the goal. Instead, the industry is moving toward a more diversified protein portfolio – combining different sources to balance nutrition, cost, sustainability and availability.

Fungal protein fits into this model as a complementary building block, helping to: reduce reliance on constrained resources, increase formulation flexibility and support long-term supply stability.

Rethinking the definition of quality

Traditionally, ingredient quality has been defined by nutritional performance and price. Today, a broader definition is emerging. Quality increasingly includes: environmental impact, supply reliability, consistency and scalability. This expanded perspective is influencing both formulation strategies and procurement decisions.

Looking ahead, the pet food industry is entering a period of structural change. Protein sourcing is no longer just a formulation challenge – it is a strategic one. To remain competitive, brands must ensure that their raw material base can support future growth in an increasingly uncertain world.

This requires looking beyond traditional categories and exploring and innovating with new production methods and ingredients that can deliver both nutritional integrity and system resilience.

Fungal protein is one example of how this shift is taking shape.