Plant-based diets, such as vegetarianism and veganism, are gaining popularity, driven by their health benefits, ethical concerns about animal welfare, and increasing interest in sustainability.
As the global population grows, so does the demand for food. While farming has become more efficient, producing more food still has environmental consequences, including increased greenhouse gas emissions, deforestation, damaged land, loss of wildlife, water shortages, and soil and water pollution.
Researchers at the University of Nottingham investigated the environmental impact of pet food. They compared plant-based dog foods with meat-based ones, such as poultry, beef, lamb, and specialized veterinary diets, using 31 popular dry dog foods sold in the UK. Their findings showed that meat-based pet foods cause significantly more environmental harm than plant-based options.
The study found that plant-based pet foods are the most environmentally friendly. They require less land, produce fewer greenhouse gases, cause less pollution to soil and water, and use less freshwater than diets based on meat. To reach these conclusions, researchers used life cycle assessment data to measure environmental impacts per 1000 kilocalories of food. They looked at: Land use (m²/1000 kcal), Greenhouse gas emissions (kg CO₂eq/1000 kcal), Acidifying emissions (g SO₂eq/1000 kcal), Eutrophying emissions (g PO₄³⁻eq/1000 kcal), Freshwater withdrawal (L/1000 kcal).
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These metrics were adjusted based on each food’s ingredients, energy content, and moisture level.
The study found that plant-based dog foods are far less harmful to the environment than meat-based ones. Plant-based diets had the lowest environmental impact across all categories. Poultry-based and veterinary diets had a moderate impact. Beef and lamb-based diets had the highest ecological footprint.
For every 1,000 kilocalories, beef diets use around 102 square meters of land, far more than the 2.7 square meters needed for plant-based diets. They also produce about 31.5 kilograms of greenhouse gases, compared to just 2.8 kilograms from plant-based food. When it comes to pollution, beef generates over seven times more acid rain–causing emissions and more than sixteen times the nutrients that pollute rivers and lakes.
Rebecca Brociek from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science said, “Our findings show that there is a much greater environmental impact when producing meat-based pet food.”
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“We have already shown in our previous work that plant-based diets at the point of purchase are roughly equivalent to others. This next paper is a case study of 31 supermarket-available dog foods, giving dog owners who factor sustainability into their purchases guidance on how to also reduce their environmental pawprint.”
Journal Reference:
- Environmental impact of feeding plant-based vs. meat-based dry dog foods in the United Kingdom, Frontiers in Nutrition (2025). DOI: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1633312