The Hidden Pawprint: The Environmental Impact of Companion Animal Food and Why It Matters

Ethics

We hear it often: shifting to a plant-based diet is one of the most effective ways to reduce our personal climate impact. Animal agriculture is a leading driver of deforestation, water pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and biodiversity loss. But there is one area of our daily lives that is rarely mentioned in environmental conversations, even among climate-conscious individuals: the food we feed our animal companions.

“If we love animals, we shouldn’t feed one kind at the expense of another. Shifting our companions’ diets is a meaningful step toward a more compassionate and sustainable future for them, for farmed animals, and for the planet we all share.”

In the United States alone, dogs and cats number in the hundreds of millions. They are cherished family members. But their meat-based diets come with an environmental cost we can no longer afford to ignore. If we are truly serious about addressing the climate crisis and reducing animal suffering, we must include our companions in the conversation.

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The Overlooked Emissions from Companion Animal Food

You may have heard that companion animals mostly eat "byproducts" or scraps from human meat production. While this may have once been true, it is no longer the case for many commercial companion foods. The booming premium pet food market now uses vast amounts of human-grade meat. In fact, a 2017 study by UCLA researcher Gregory Okin estimated that companion animal food is responsible for up to 25–30% of the environmental impact of the U.S. meat industry. That is not a side issue. It is a major contribution to climate change.