Choosing what to feed a dog or cat is not necessarily simple or straightforward. Today, there are more commercially available pet food options in the marketplace than ever before and, this year, expenditures for pet food in the United States are projected to hit $165 billion.
After ensuring that the diet is nutritionally balanced, life stage appropriate, and meets certain requirements (e.g. in light of illness or unique metabolic needs, etc.) other considerations such as palatability and cost also factor into the decision. In addition, there are other concerns that are increasingly important to both consumers and scientists that fall within the One Health framework – the concept that the health of people, animals and the environment are inextricably linked. Surveys have revealed greater concern around ethics, animal welfare, and the impacts of food systems on the environment. Pet owners regard veterinarians as a trusted source of information on animal health and welfare matters, and that trust brings an expectation that they will also have informed answers regarding all pet food options – including sustainable pet foods.
While animal-based ingredients dominate dog and cat diets, interest in plant-based and cultivated meat-based foods is growing. Coupled with this interest, a growing body of literature over the past five years has indicated that switching to nutritionally sound plant-based or vegan diets for the world’s dogs and cats could spare billions of land animals and many billions more of marine animals from slaughter, while freeing enough food energy to feed hundreds of millions of people on the planet. Doing so would also help to reduce green gas emissions that contribute to global warming.
Despite these potential benefits, sustainable pet food receives surprisingly little attention in veterinary forums or discussions. This likely stems from a skepticism of many regarding alternative diets in general. Historically, there’s been a tradition of people making homemade diets of all kinds (e.g. raw, vegan, etc.) that are nutritionally unsound or even potential health hazards based on the type of preparation. However, many professionals remain unaware of major changes that have occurred over the past five years. The first is the evolution of plant-based, cultivated meat and microbial protein foods being produced by commercial companies with guidance by animal nutrition experts – to ensure they are fully supplemented and nutritionally balanced and complete. There has also been a growing body of research examining health outcomes, nutritional soundness, palatability, and environmental impact of these food options.
Dr. Andrew Knight - a veterinarian, Diplomate of the American College of Animal Welfare, and Director of the Sustainable Pet Food Foundation - is one of the world’s leading researchers on the topic. In our upcoming webinar he will be discussing the evolution and current state of sustainable pet foods including:
The belief regarding the term “carnivore” as it relates to dogs and cats
What clinical studies and large owner surveys show about health outcomes in pets eating these modern diets
Nutritional soundness and palatability of sustainable pet food
The emerging product landscape, from plant-based to cultivated meat
The welfare and environmental impacts of the pet food industry
His approach to counseling clients and keys to evaluating a commercial diet
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