Pet Food Sustainability and Welfare

Pet food production has significant environmental and animal welfare implications, with growing options for more sustainable and welfare-positive products.

Key Facts

The global pet food market uses significant quantities of fish and farm animal protein
An estimated 25-30% of meat consumed in the UK is by pets
Some pet food fish ingredients come from welfare-challenged fisheries
Insect-based pet food is a growing alternative with lower environmental impact and variable welfare implications
Dogs can thrive on well-formulated plant-based diets while cats require animal-derived taurine
RSPCA Assured and equivalent welfare-certified ingredients are available in some premium pet foods
Byproduct-inclusive pet foods may be more efficient than human-grade meat in terms of total animal use

Welfare Considerations

Pet food welfare is complex - the welfare of farm and aquatic animals in pet food supply chains matters morally, but so does the welfare of the companion animal eating the food. Choosing pet foods with welfare-certified ingredients improves the welfare of animals in the supply chain. Insect-based pet foods represent a potentially lower-welfare-impact option, though insect welfare uncertainty applies here too. Supporting transparent welfare certification in pet food ingredients is the key consumer action.

What You Can Do

Choose pet foods with welfare-certified ingredients such as RSPCA Assured or MSC-certified fish
Consider insect-protein pet foods as a lower-impact alternative for dogs
Avoid pet foods with ingredients from high-welfare-concern sources such as certain fish species
Advocate for pet food companies to adopt welfare certification for their animal ingredient supply chains