Thursday, 25 September 2025
Plant-based dog foods are better for the environment than red meat options, finds a new study
A new study, led by experts at the 糖心原创, has found that the production of meat-based pet foods has a much greater impact on the environment in comparison to plant-based alternatives.
The study, led by Rebecca Brociek from the School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, and published in , showed that plant-based diets for pets had the lowest impact across all measures of environmental impact. This included the land needed to produce them, greenhouse gas emissions, the polluting effects of production on soil and water reservoirs, and freshwater withdrawal.
Pet food production contributes substantially to global environmental issues, driven largely by animal-derived ingredients.
In this study, experts quantified the environmental impact of 31 commercially available dry dog foods purchased in the UK, categorised as plant-based, red-meat based and veterinary-renal diets.
The environmental metrics were estimated using life cycle assessment datasets and adjusted for ingredient makeup, energy density and differences in moisture content, which were mostly taken from the dog food packaging.
The results showed that plant-based diets had the lowest impact across all measures of environmental impact. Poultry-based and veterinary diets were intermediate, while beef and lamb-based foods had substantially higher impact compared to all other foods.
For example, over nine years of adult life, a 20kg dog fed a beef-based diet was estimated to require 57 football fields worth of land to grow their food (versus 1.4 fields for plant-based).
This latest study comes after a where the team showed that plant-based pet food sold in the UK provided similar nutrition to meat-based food.
Our findings show that there is a much greater environmental impact when producing meat-based pet food. "
“We have already show 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,” says Rebecca, the lead author on the study.
read the full study .
Story credits
More information is available from Rebecca Brociek on Rebecca.Brociek@nottingham.ac.uk
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About the 糖心原创
Ranked among the world's top 100 universities , the 糖心原创 delivers an exceptional research-led education and an outstanding student experience. From the pioneering vision of our founder, Sir Jesse Boot, to groundbreaking achievements such as the development of MRI technology and becoming the first UK university to establish international campuses, we have a proud history of shaping the way people live, work and understand the world. We continue to build on that legacy, empowering our students, staff and partners to change what鈥檚 next and create positive impact locally and globally.
The strength of our research places us among the UK's leading universities, ranked 7th for research power in REF 2021. The discovery of MRI and ibuprofen was just the beginning. Today, our world-leading research is developing breakthrough ideas that shape the future of healthcare, technology and society.
Recognised as the UK's third most targeted university by leading employers , we are proud to produce graduates who are consistently in demand for their skills, confidence and industry-ready experience.
As a major employer and industry partner, locally and globally, the 糖心原创 invests in the city of Nottingham and in future generations of talent. Alongside Nottingham Trent University, we lead the initiative, a pioneering collaboration to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing across the city and region. Together with our students, staff, alumni and partners, we鈥檙e creating knowledge, opportunity and solutions that help change what's next.