Research and references about pets, climate and insects
“As pet ownership increases, and trends continue in pet food toward higher content and quality of meat, globally, pet ownership will compound the environmental impacts of human dietary choices.”
Gregory S. Okin
University of California Los Angeles (UCLA)
Research summary
At petgood we are committed to leave no pawprints behind; sustainability is one of our core philosophies. There is a growing global demand for consumable protein sources by both humans and animals. Insects represent a highly sustainable protein source, as they have a favourable feed conversion efficiency, and can be reared on organic side streams (i.e. organic plant and grain waste products). They produce 94% less greenhouse emissions, and utilize 93% less land, 92% less feed and 80% less water in comparison to beef. This makes our insect-based dog food a sustainable and healthy alternative for our companion animals.
Sustainability assessment of the insect meal used in our feed
Smetana et al (2019) Sustainable use of Hermetica Illucens insect biomass for feed and food: Attributional and consequential life cycle assessment.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0921344919300515
Research on the environmental impact of pets
Okin et al. (2017). Environmental impacts of food consumption by dogs and cats:
https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0181301
Acuff et al. (2021). Sustainability and pet food. Small Animal Nutrition.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195561621000206?via%3Dihub
Pet Sustainability Coalition (PSC) details available options for sustainable protein sourcing.
https://www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/13489-psc-details-available-options-for-sustainable-protein-sourcing
Alexander et al. (2020). The global environmental paw print of pet food. Global Environmental Change. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0959378020307366?via%3Dihub
Pedrinelli et al. (2022). Environmental impact of diets for dogs and cats. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-022-22631-0
Newspaper articles on the environmental impact of pets
Adelaide Now. Not owning a dog equivalent to becoming vegetarian.
https://www.adelaidenow.com.au/news/national/pet-carbon-emissions-not-owning-dog-equivalent-to-being-vegetarian/news-story/c6e564af02285ab7d6d57c28a1d3843b
The Guardian. Pet food is an environmental disaster.
https://www.theguardian.com/global/2018/jun/26/pet-food-is-an-environmental-disaster-are-vegan-dogs-the-answer
Sveriges Radio. Hundarnas köttdiet – en klimatbov. Markus Langeland från SLU kommenterar:
https://sverigesradio.se/artikel/7135515 (Swedish)
Sveriges Natur. Hundar och katter står för stora klimatutsläpp:
https://www.sverigesnatur.org/aktuellt/hundar-och-katter-star-stora-klimatutslapp/ (Swedish)
Time. A New Study Ranks the Climate Pawprint of Different Types of Pet Food
https://time.com/6234444/pet-food-climate-impact/
Research on sustainability and potential of insects as food and feed
Huis, A. (2013) Potential of Insects as Food and Feed in Assuring Food Security. Annual Review of Entomology:
https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-ento-120811-153704
Parodi et al. (2018) The potential of future foods for sustainable and healthy diets:
https://doi.org/10.1038/s41893-018-0189-7
Mazac et al. (2022). Incorporation of novel foods in European diets can reduce global warming potential, water use and land use by over 80%. Nature. https://www.nature.com/articles/s43016-022-00489-9
Additional newspaper articles on insects as food and feed
Inews. (2022) Insects as packed full of digestible protein as milk, study finds
https://inews.co.uk/news/insects-as-packed-full-of-digestible-protein-as-milk-study-finds-1030517
The Correspondent (2020) Here’s why there is such a buzz about farming insects – to feed animals:
https://thecorrespondent.com/230/heres-why-there-is-such-a-buzz-about-farming-insects-to-feed-animals
BBC News. Lab-grown meat and insects good for planet and health:
https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-61182294
Swapping meat and dairy for insect protein and 'cultured' milk could reduce global warming, water and land use by over 80%, study claims: https://www-dailymail-co-uk.cdn.ampproject.org/c/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-10751655/amp/Swapping-animal-products-insect-protein-reduce-global-warming.html