5 Surprising Truths About the Pet Food Industry and Its Impact on You, Your Pet, and the Planet
- Jan 16
- 7 min read
Updated: Jan 30
Honor Tremain is an award-winning longevity nutritionist, author, and journalist whose journey into nutrition began with a personal health crisis. Determined to reclaim her life, she completed qualifications in nutrition, eventually healing herself and going on to complete a Bachelor of Science degree.
The pet food sector is a booming industry, with over 50% of all households having a dog or cat, exceeding 1 billion animals worldwide. According to the Fortune Business Report 2025, global spending on pet food is upwards of $132.4 billion and is estimated to reach $179 billion by 2032.
The massive growth of this industry can partly be explained by people’s love for companion animals, particularly with the increase in human anxiety, loneliness, and depression, where pets are seen as potential solutions. Another factor is that younger high-income earners, like Gen Z, are opting to have children later in life, having fewer children, or none at all, and are instead raising “furry family members.” (P Alexander)
This humanization of pets, with more disposable income directed towards them, has led to the demand for higher-quality “human-grade” pet foods, but it has also created a few dilemmas. Many of the new premium high-meat diets are exceeding recommended nutritional requirements for animals, potentially making them sick while also putting an unsustainable burden on the environment.
But first:
A bit about dogs
Dogs appeared on Earth about 20 million years ago, and from the get-go, they were foragers. Many ancient remains indicate their diets were extremely diverse, including a mix of meat, marine life, plants, vegetables, fruits, and ancient grains like millet.
Their friendly nature, joyful energy, loyalty, and instinctive bond with humans have made them wonderful companions and easy best friends to many. And they’re not just adorable, loving, cuddly, and cute, they’re also highly intelligent, useful, and protective, being trustworthy companions, guides, and guards to people in need.
Some facts
The global pet food ingredients market is expected to increase from $32.2-$44.5 billion from 2022 to 2027, with pressure to support what’s on trend, currently, that’s more meat.
The pet food sector is closely linked to the livestock sector, where dogs and cats currently consume 9% of all livestock animals globally. In the U.S., it’s 20%.
Consumption of livestock is currently at unsustainable levels, with roughly 92 billion land animals, 124 billion farmed fish, and 1.1-2.2 trillion wild fish being slaughtered each year globally. (A Mood)
Emissions from the livestock sector account for the same amount of global greenhouse gases as the combined exhaust emissions from all cars, planes, trains, and boats on Earth.
According to WWF, deforestation due to livestock needs is responsible for 10% of all global warming while destroying essential wildlife habitats, where more than 50% of the world’s land-based plants and animals, and 75% of all bird species, need these forests to survive, leading to extinction.
If that’s not concerning enough, with the rising popularity of high-raw meat meals, the environmental impact of some pets’ diets is overtaking that of humans.
In the U.S. alone, dogs and cats are producing roughly 30% as much bio-waste (poop) as people do!
How has this happened?
Clever marketing, poor recommendations, overfeeding, and the concept that higher meat diets are healthier for your animal are the drivers. However, international environmental protection agencies such as the WWF, veterinarians, and health advocates around the world are concerned.
Because the next most baffling thing about all of this, other than the financial and environmental costs, is that these diets may not be good for your furry bestie!
Food allergies, cancers, pancreatitis, kidney disease, anxiety, gut, inflammatory, and immune disorders are all on the rise.
Health concerns
The Journal of Internal Medicine reports that 11 million premature deaths and 255 million disabilities each year are attributable to poor diet, excessive consumption of processed and trans fats, high salt and sugar intake, physical inactivity, and a widespread Omega-3 deficiency in humans.
And it isn’t just people who are paying the price. Our pets are increasingly affected by the same modern pressures. Cancer is now the leading cause of death in dogs and a growing threat to cats, with the American Veterinary Medical Association estimating that approximately one in four dogs will develop cancer during their lifetime.
This study explains:
“The increased risk of cancer in humans and dogs is a consequence of recent extensions of lifespan, body size beyond evolutionarily determined limits, diet, lifestyle, and environmental toxins.”
In essence, modern living is impacting all species alike. Overfeeding, ultra-processed ingredients, artificial additives, preservatives, flavor enhancers, chemical residues, and excessive meat intake can all disrupt the gut microbiome, accelerate toxic load, and impact health. Over time, these imbalances can contribute to kidney strain, allergy and immune dysfunction, chronic inflammation, and increased cancer risk.
All the while, an important fact has been overlooked, protein requirements for dogs are not set. According to leading regulatory bodies such as the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO), protein needs for dogs vary depending on age, breed, sex, season, activity level, and overall health status. Research indicates that protein levels exceeding 30% offer no additional benefit and that excessive protein can be harmful.
So, what’s the answer? Dry food?
The dry kibble vs. Raw argument, which one is right?
Only recently have audits into the pet food industry revealed just how unhealthy conventional pet foods can be. This concern has been recognized by many mindful pet owners for some time and sparked the raw meat pet food revolution.
Discoveries found that a large proportion of conventional dry pet foods contain low-quality fillers, processed grains such as wheat and corn, chemical by-products, inconsistent and substandard protein sources, and, in some, even sawdust.
Yes, sawdust can be hidden in some of the most popular pet foods as ‘powdered cellulose.’ Here is an ingredient list from a well-known, vet-recommended dry-food formula for joints. Disturbingly, many of these ingredients are known to contribute to inflammation and may worsen pain rather than relieve it.
Wheat, whole grain corn (both fillers), flaxseed, chicken meal, soybean mill run, corn gluten meal (both often GMO), pork fat, chicken liver flavor (additive), fish oil, powdered cellulose (sawdust), pork liver flavor (additive), lactic acid, dried beet pulp (linked to dilated cardiomyopathy – DCM), potassium chloride, L-lysine, calcium carbonate, iodized salt, choline chloride, and added synthetic vitamins and minerals.
It’s no surprise that the grain-free & raw/wet pet food movement emerged in response to this. But current studies reveal that wet and raw pet food diets carry a significantly greater environmental impact than dry foods, emitting up to eight times more CO₂-equivalent greenhouse gases, largely due to the energy, land, water, refrigeration, and transportation required to produce and distribute them.
The University of Edinburgh underscores this point, noting:
“Choosing grain-free, wet or raw foods can result in higher environmental impacts compared to standard dry kibble foods. Clear labeling and the use of meat cuts not typically consumed by humans could help ensure dogs remain healthy while reducing their environmental pawprint.” – John Harvey, Royal School of Veterinary Studies
What can we do
The AAFCO states that the key to health is balance from high-quality, digestible proteins, fats, carbs, water, and vitamins and minerals coming from varied sources, including some meats, marine (fish, seaweeds, microalgae), healthy whole grains (examples, see below), eggs, vegetables, and fruit.
Many governing bodies, including this study, highlight the need to decrease the amount of meat our pets and ourselves are ingesting and to start consuming plant-based alternatives as well. This helps slow deforestation and supports healthier bodies.
Choose eco-mindful companies like the new Australian Award-winning Daya Pet Food Co., which has been at the forefront of this movement for a while. They nutritionally design all their supplemental and treat formulas using a percentage of high-quality single animal proteins, alongside sustainable plant proteins sourced from microalgae and whole, organic plant foods high in Omega-3. This boosts overall health while lowering inflammation, deforestation, methane, and greenhouse gas production.
Use natural, raw whole foods in between this, including less popular cuts of meats, fresh vegetables, fruits, and healthy anti-inflammatory whole grains like brown rice, millet, quinoa, and amaranth. These are high in protein, low in allergens, high in fiber, and support a good gut microbiome for immune and behavioral health.
Choose smaller pets and have fewer of them. Be sure not to overfeed your animal. This saves you money, lessens bio-waste, and reduces the risk of disease for them.
Final thought
Loving our pets shouldn’t come at such a significant cost to us financially, to their health, or to the planet’s future. By stepping away from extremes and embracing balance, science, and sustainability, we can nourish all our animals kindly in ways that honor their biology, support their ecosystems, and ensure that love truly does no harm. Because caring for our pets means caring for the world they live in too.
Find & support
Find award-winning health and eco-mindfulness pet foods from Daya Pet Food Co. here or contact them here. SeaO2 Nanno is growing some of the most exciting new plant proteins in the form of microalgae, find them here. If you’d like to support the WWF follow this link or donate via Tap4Change. & receive 10% off your first Daya Pet Food Co. order.
Read more from Honor Tremain
Honor Tremain, Nutritionist, Author, and Journalist
Honor Tremain is an award-winning longevity nutritionist, author, and journalist whose journey into health began with a personal crisis where, between the ages of 18 and 23, Honor was bedridden with multiple chronic illnesses & determined to reclaim her life, she completed a Diploma in Nutrition, eventually healing herself, and went on to complete a science degree. Honor opened a thriving nutrition practice in Sydney, Australia, became a columnist and feature journalist for national and international publications, and in 2015, Honor published her debut book, A Diet in Paradise. Most recently, she founded Daya Pet Food Co., a health-focused and sustainable dog food company that was proudly awarded Best Health-Conscious Dog Food Brand 2025.
References:
P Alexander, A Berri, D Moran, D Reay, MDA Rounsevell
Global Environmental Change, 2020•Elsevier
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0034528824003849
https://www.fortunebusinessinsights.com/press-release/pet-food-market-10028
https://www.ed.ac.uk/news/climate-impact-of-dogs-dinner-revealed
https://www.petmd.com/dog/nutrition/evr_dg_whats_in_a_balanced_dog_food
https://www.humaneworld.org/en/blog/more-animals-ever-922-billion-are-used
