Public Perceptions of Plant-Based Pet Food

November 2023

“As the impact of the pet food industry on animal farming becomes increasingly recognised, it is now clear that animal companion dietary change plays a crucial role in the protein transition. In our annual survey, we found that 26% of guardians are open to plant-based pet food, with the majority of this group not yet feeding their companion animal a plant-based diet. However, a variety of barriers, particularly regarding the perceived health impacts of such diets, must be addressed in order to increase the adoption of plant-based pet food. – Billy Nicholles 

Context

The global pet population is vast, and growing. By 2018, it was estimated to include 471 million dogs, and 373 million cats, a figure that does not include many more millions of stray or free-roaming dogs and cats (1). Such substantial populations have given rise to a similarly large and expanding pet food market. The global pet food market was valued at  99.1 billion USD in 2022 and is conservatively anticipated to exhibit a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 4.3% from 2023 to 2030 (2).

The industry in its current form has a significant and generally under appreciated impact on animal farming and environmental stability. Globally, dogs and cats have been conservatively calculated to consume 9% of all terrestrial livestock each year; in the US, this rises to 20%. This is in addition to an as of yet unquantified number of aquatic animals which is highly likely to be in the billions. The environmental impacts are also profound: a recent study found that if all cats and dogs went vegan, the reduction in greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions would be greater than all GHG emissions from the UK and New Zealand combined (3).  

The impact of the pet food industry is often dismissed with claims that the animal products in pet food are animal by-products – animal parts that are left over after slaughter and butchering that would otherwise be wasted. This is a problematic claim for various reasons.

  • Firstly, the pet food industry is in fact a minority user of animal by-products (4), with many other industries vying for their use (see graphic below).
  • Animal by-products are used in pet food because they are much cheaper to use than human-grade animal products, not because they would otherwise be wasted.
  • Indeed, any additional value that can be derived from the slaughter of a given animal will naturally increase the economic feasibility of doing so.

Incorporating animal-derived ingredients into pet food unavoidably increases the demand for animal farming, thereby amplifying the industry’s adverse environmental and ethical impacts.

It has long been assumed that dogs and cats cannot survive on plant-based diets, thus limiting our ability to mitigate these impacts. However, new research into the health outcomes of dogs and cats on plant-based diets is increasingly indicating that both species may actually be healthier on nutritionally-sound plant-based rather than meat-based diets (6). Furthermore, there is no indication that plant-based food is less palatable to companion animals than meat-based food (7). A systematic review of the literature on the health outcomes of plant-based companion animal diets concluded that there is little evidence of adverse effects arising in dogs and cats on plant-based diets (8). These findings indicate an important potential opportunity to reduce the ethical and environmental impacts of the current pet food industry. 

The importance of human dietary change away from animal-based products has long been recognised. However, it is becoming increasingly clear that the dietary change of animal companions is also crucial, and widely neglected, even within animal advocacy circles. This insight therefore examines the practices and  attitudes of UK guardians towards animal companion diets. The findings can guide animal advocates and pet food retailers in effectively promoting and providing plant-based pet food to consumers.    

Survey Background

These findings come from Bryant Research’s 2023 Annual Survey – a nationally representative survey of 1,000 people across the UK on animal agriculture and food choices.

  • 532 respondents were guardians for at least one animal companion; data on the number of guardians with more than one animal companion and their specific feeding habits was not collected.
  • Respondents were asked whether they fed their companion animal a meat-based, raw meat-based, or plant-based diet.
  • They were also surveyed on their openness to feeding their companion animal plant-based food, and what barriers held them back from plant-based diet adoption.

It is worth noting that, whilst the main focus of the literature is on dogs and cats (which make up 95% of pet food sales globally), the guardians surveyed here were mostly, but not exclusively, dog and cat guardians (9). The most common companion animal in the UK after dogs and cats are rabbits, with 2% of UK adults being rabbit guardians (compared to 24% of UK adults caring for a cat, and 29% caring for a dog) (10).

1. Openness towards plant-based pet food

This survey found that over a quarter – 26% – of guardians were open to feeding their companion animal a plant-based diet. This is in comparison to 7.5% of guardians who currently feed their animal companions an exclusively plant-based diet. A sizable segment of guardians are therefore receptive to the idea of plant-based pet food, with the majority of receptive guardians not yet using plant-based pet food. 

This presents a potential avenue for plant-based pet food brands to engage with those who are interested but have yet to make the switch. Interestingly, our findings suggest that one promising consumer segment could be guardians who feed their companion animal a raw-meat based diet. These guardians were more likely to be open to plant-based pet food compared to those who fed their pets a conventional meat-based diet. 

However, a slim majority – 53% – of guardians are not open to feeding their companion animal plant-based pet food, demonstrating significant opposition to the idea of  putting companion animals on plant-based diets. The quantitative and qualitative findings below shed some light on the reasons for this opposition.

2. Reported barriers towards plant-based pet food

When asked to identify the primary barriers to feeding their companion animal a plant-based diet, the most prevalent concern was the perceived health outcomes of such a diet, with 42% ranking this as their highest barrier. Many believe that companion animals, especially cats, require meat as part of a healthy diet, and the omission of meat-based ingredients in companion animal diets is often seen as unhealthy, unnatural, and even unethical (see qualitative findings). In contrast, very few participants felt that the availability of plant-based pet food was their primary barrier to adoption. Perceived unnaturalness, price, and palatability were all ranked as the highest barrier by between 15%-21% of respondents. 

The mean ranking of each barrier (i.e. the average ranked position of each of the 5 barriers by all respondents), however, demonstrated less variation. This could suggest that guardians are still concerned with a variety of aspects of plant-based pet food, and that efforts to promote companion animal dietary change should focus on addressing multiple barriers. 

3. Qualitative findings

Out of the 532 guardians who responded to these questions, 121 wrote in unique responses when prompted to list any other concerns they held around plant-based pet food. These qualitative responses further demonstrate the range of barriers preventing the uptake of plant-based pet food.

The idea that meat was a natural part of companion animal diets was raised frequently. Plant-based pet diets were seen as ‘completely unnatural’, with a typical response claiming that ‘dogs and cats are carnivorous, a plant based diet is unnatural’. Some used the idea of meat-based diets being natural to argue that plant-based animal companion diets were unethical, with one respondent writing: ‘Forcing a carnivore or omnivore to comply with human-implied values is unacceptable’. Other responses justified a meat-based diet for their animal companion on the grounds that ‘if it were wild it would catch and eat meat’. Responses were particularly wary of the effects of plant-based diets on cats, often citing their status as obligate carnivores. Distrust of new plant-based pet food products, and of the nutritional adequacy of plant-based pet food in general, were also common in responses.

These qualitative findings demonstrate a wide range of concerns regarding plant-based pet food, and strong feelings regarding its adoption. They serve to reaffirm the range and strength of barriers that require attention if plant-based pet food is to be more widely adopted. 

Impact & Recommendations

It is clear that the meat-based pet food industry has a severe impact on farmed animals and environmental sustainability, and that animal companion dietary change will significantly mitigate these harms. Furthermore, there is a growing body of research suggesting that shifting companion animals to a nutritionally-sound plant-based diet may in fact come with improved, or at least equivalent, health outcomes. It is therefore becoming increasingly clear that companion animal dietary change is a crucial part of food system change. As a result, this survey has sought to better understand guardian perceptions of plant-based pet food, and the barriers that currently prevent its widespread adoption.

26% of guardians reported some level of openness to feeding their companion animal a plant-based diet, and the majority of these guardians have not yet adopted a fully plant-based animal companion diet. Targeting this group of already sympathetic guardians could be particularly effective. Those currently feeding their animal companion a raw meat-based diet may be slightly more receptive than average to plant-based pet food. 

However, a majority of guardians remain unwilling to adopt plant-based diets for their animal companions. To address this, improved communication and more research is needed. 

Communication

Research on the importance and viability of plant-based pet food must be effectively communicated to consumers. The existing evidence supporting plant-based diets for companion animals is (at least for dogs) already stronger than the supporting evidence of various accepted veterinary recommended practices. Effectively communicating this body of research to consumers is now a priority. This survey found various reservations from consumers, including perceived negative health outcomes and the perceived unnaturalness of plant-based diets. Combatting these arguments by targeting communication platforms such as pet care magazines, blogs, and social media groups, is key to building trust in plant-based pet food. 

Furthermore, ensuring communication on this topic emphasises the importance of nutritionally sound plant-based diets is crucial. Consumers should be encouraged to check product labels to confirm their companion animal’s diet is nutritionally complete and balanced, and purchase diets only from reputable companies that are working with veterinary or other expert nutritionists (11).

Research

Whilst the literature on vegan pet food is strong and growing, more research on the impacts of plant-based animal companion diets would certainly be beneficial. Research on the health impacts of cats, who are widely perceived to be obligate carnivores incapable of surviving on a plant-based diet, is particularly important. Moreover, a recent systematic review of the literature noted ‘an urgent need for large-scale population-based studies’. It also called for a particular focus on assessing dietary aspects of particular concern, such as taurine and folate (12).

Finally, more consumer oriented research investigating receptive consumer segments and other market dynamics for various types of plant-based pet food is now also needed.

References

  1. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0284132&utm_source=substack&utm_medium=email
  2. https://www.grandviewresearch.com/industry-analysis/pet-food-industry#
  3. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0291791
  4. It has been estimated that only ~25% of all animal by-products produced in the US are used within pet foods.
  5. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0291791
  6. See https://sustainablepetfood.info/vegetarian-canine-diets/#3 and https://sustainablepetfood.info/vegetarian-feline-diets/#3 for a comprehensive list of studies.
  7. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0253292
  8. https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/1/52
  9. https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0291791
  10. https://www.pdsa.org.uk/media/13976/pdsa-paw-report-2023.pdf
  11. For more information, see https://sustainablepetfood.info/suppliers/
  12. https://www.mdpi.com/2306-7381/10/1/52

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