Breaking News: 65 times more carbon emissions from meat heavy dog food study finds

Reviewed by Sophie Kay

Written by the Omni Editorial Team

Dog food is now firmly in the climate spotlight – and that is good news for dog parents who want healthier tummies and a lighter pawprint for their four‑legged family member.

The new research behind the Sky News piece shows that what goes into your dog’s bowl can vary wildly in its environmental impact, without any proven health benefit to “more meat, at any cost.”

What the new study found

• Dog food ingredients are estimated to account for around 1% of total UK greenhouse gas emissions, showing that canine diets are a meaningful part of the country’s climate footprint.
• The highest‑impact commercial diets were responsible for up to 65 times more emissions than the lowest‑impact products, largely driven by format and meat type.
• Wet, raw and very meat‑rich products were linked with substantially higher emissions than standard dry foods, while some plant‑based formulations sat at the lower‑impact end of the spectrum.

Do dogs really need all that meat?

• The lead researcher, vet John Harvey, highlights that there is no evidence dogs require very high‑meat diets, even though marketing has pushed many dog parents towards “premium”, meat‑heavy meals.
  
• Using human‑grade prime meat cuts ramps up the carbon cost, whereas utilising offcuts or by‑products can reduce it - but current labels often make it impossible to tell what you’re actually buying.
  
• The team calls for far clearer ingredient labelling so dog parents can choose diets that are kinder to the planet without compromising their dog’s health.

Why this matters for conscientious dog parents

• As more homes welcome dogs, the combined “carbon pawprint” of canine diets is growing - one analysis suggests that if all dogs worldwide were fed in the same way as UK dogs, emissions could exceed half of those from global commercial flights.
  
• Evidence from broader sustainability research indicates that plant‑forward and novel protein diets are consistently lower impact than conventional, meat‑heavy options across greenhouse gases, land use and water use.
  
• For climate‑conscious dog parents, food format (dry vs wet), protein source (prime cuts vs by‑products vs novel proteins) and avoiding unnecessary overfeeding are now recognised as powerful levers to shrink a household’s footprint.

Practical steps to shrink your dog’s “carbon pawprint”

• Favour lower‑impact formats such as high‑quality dry food, which typically outperforms raw and meat‑rich wet diets environmentally while still meeting nutritional needs when properly formulated.
  
• Look for brands that are transparent about where their proteins come from and how they’re sourced, and that avoid pushing excessive “prime meat” for marketing’s sake.
  
• Follow veterinary feeding guidelines, keep your dog at a healthy body condition, store food correctly to reduce waste, and always dispose of poo responsibly - all highlighted by the researchers as simple, climate‑friendly wins.

Where Omni fits into this new landscape

• This research underlines the need for science‑backed, novel‑protein‑led nutrition that supports itchy, sensitive, allergy‑prone dogs and reduces pressure on the planet. Novel protein diets can be formulated to deliver complete, balanced nutrition while cutting reliance on carbon‑intensive livestock ingredients.
  
• Omni’s mission is aligned with this shift: using innovative ingredients, transparent labelling and a vet‑led, evidence‑based approach to create delicious, allergy‑friendly recipes that help dogs live healthier lives today - without borrowing against their future planet tomorrow.

Resources:
Estimating the environmental impact of dog foods marketed in the UK
Environmental impact of feeding plant-based vs. meat-based dry dog foods in the United Kingdom