Study: Plant-Based Dry Dog Foods Have a Lower Environmental Impact Than Animal-Based Foods Across All Measures

A study published in the journal Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems compared the environmental impact of different types of dry dog food in the UK. The results showed that plant-based diets had the lowest impact across all measures, while beef-and lamb-based foods had the highest impact. Beef-based diets required significantly more land and emitted more CO₂eq compared to plant-based foods.

The study suggests that pet food companies have a major opportunity to reduce the environmental footprint of companion animal food by incorporating more plant-based ingredients in their products. Previous research has shown that feeding pets a plant-based diet can be a significant climate change mitigation strategy and may also lead to better health outcomes for pets. The British Veterinary Association has revised its position on meat-free diets for dogs, stating that it is possible to feed dogs a plant-based diet.