Pet Food Processing: The rise of plant-based pet foods

Research from BENEO, Mannheim, Germany, found more than four out of five pet parents say their pet’s health is as important to them as their own health. More than 80% of dog and cat owners expect the same quality standards for their pets’ food as they do for their own, said Maygane Ronsmans, Ph.D., product manager, Animal Nutrition, BENEO. This finds owners attentive to ingredient claims that support pet dietary and health goals, including interest in plant-based alternatives.

“Pet food seems to follow human food by a few years,” said Briana Schweizer, co-founder and co-chief executive officer, Virtuous Vittles, San Francisco. “We’ve watched ‘better for you’ and ‘better for the world’ trends toward clean labels, human-grade ingredients, plant-forward ingredients, sustainability and concerns about farm animal welfare move into the mainstream first in human food and then in pet foods.”

Ryan Bouton, vice president of Growth, PawCo Foods, Santa Monica, Calif., compared pets to tiny, adorable mirrors of our own habits, helping to explain why pet parents remain invested in purchasing products aligned with their own values. The resulting convergence of health, ethics and the environment is allowing plant-based pet foods to evolve beyond a simple novelty.

Caroline Buck, co-founder, Petaluma, Oakland, Calif., compared the trends driving premiumization across the industry including the strong tailwinds of the plant-based segment with clean labels, ingredient transparency and functional nutrition making their way into premium pet food.

But the reasons for switching a pet to a plant-based diet remain varied and personal. Change could be attributed to ethical concerns, environmental motivations, food sensitivities and allergies, or an upgrade from hydrolyzed protein formulas.

“Pet parents are making food decisions using the same thoughtful approach they would for their human family members,” said Caroline Buck, Petaluma.

“Pet parents are making food decisions using the same thoughtful approach they would for their human family members,” Buck said.

But a personal commitment to eating a plant-based diet is not a prerequisite for feeding a plant-based diet to one’s animal. Many owners choose vegetarian formulas for their dogs based on health reasons. Currently, the nutritional science and market acceptance for plant-based diets is strongest for dogs, which is why most companies in this space focus on canine nutrition.

“As omnivores, dogs are naturally well-suited to plant-based diets when properly formulated. Emerging research shows that dogs on well-formulated plant-based diets often experience equal or better health outcomes than those on conventional diets. This includes fewer vet visits and fewer chronic issues,” Schweizer said.

But unlike some other animals, cats cannot thrive on a fully plant-based diet without specific supplementation. As obligate carnivores, they rely solely on nutrients found in animal tissue to meet their nutritional needs. Cats also have stricter requirements for nutrients like taurine, arachidonic acid, vitamin A and certain B vitamins, so a plant-only approach for cats requires extreme precision.

Position on plants

Recent years have seen a groundswell of consumer-driven change in pet food recipe formulation. Understanding how plant-based diets come with high-quality ingredients and scientifically backed nutrition helps owners overcome the hesitation, Bouton said.

“Allergies, sustainability, ethics, concerns about rendering, fear of recalls and simple lifestyle alignment are all reasons for avoiding animal-based proteins,” he added.

Plant-based ingredients offer various technological, nutritional and health benefits including proteins, carbs/fiber, fats and micronutrient sources — all the nutritionally dense, clean-label things humans get excited about in their own food. Premium additions include marine microalgae providing clean Omega 3s, organic flaxseeds for healthy fats, and organic kelp meal to contribute trace minerals.

BENEO found the majority of consumers consider the quality of ingredients (71%) and nutritional value (72%) as very important factors in their purchasing choices. This makes a focus on recipe composition with easily recognizable whole food ingredients an essential part of driving sales alongside rock solid sourcing, testing and transparency.

Petaluma defines quality as a product that looks (and tastes) better with a balanced, appropriate nutritional profile that’s produced using ethical and sustainable practices. Its oven-baking process highlights the whole ingredients visible in the baked bites.

Virtuous Vittles builds its recipes around functional whole foods like pumpkin, sweet potatoes, peas, spinach and apples layered in precisely calibrated plant proteins and mineral sources to ensure complete nutrition.

“We’ve taken an intentional approach to naming, using formulas like ‘Baked Peanut Butter and Sweet Potato’ rather than ‘Garden Blend’ or ‘Chik’in Dinner,’” Buck said. “We want to position plants as the heroes of the recipe, chosen for the nutrition and flavor they bring, rather than treating them as background actors to animal protein.”

But when these healthy ingredients are not backed by strong nutritional science, they have the potential to be vilified as fillers, a perception complicated by decades of plant-based marketing.

“There’s a lot of confusion around ‘fillers,’ and plant ingredients often get unfairly pulled into that category,” said Lisbeth Merrill, co-founder and co-CEO, Virtuous Vittles. “In conventional pet foods, some brands do use cheap byproducts or low-value ingredients to cut costs, so sometimes consumers assume anything plant-based must be a filler by default.”

A number of peer-reviewed studies are attempting to provide clarity, going beyond basic nutritional validation to demonstrate real health benefits for animals. For example, recent trials from BENEO have highlighted the technological benefits of faba bean ingredients for pet food manufacturers. Faba protein concentrate can fully or partially replace animal blood plasma with no significant change in the end product’s weight or texture.

Perceived nutritional trade-offs

From a nutritional aspect, the quality and nutrient levels of plant proteins are often more consistent from batch to batch than those of meat-based meals, which can vary in terms of ash, fat and protein content. The use of plant proteins offers fewer allergens, better traceability, lower saturated fat, better fiber and strong sustainability wins.

Standardization of plant isolates also translates into fewer nutritional surprises. Plant proteins allow for more controlled nutrition with far less variability than byproduct meals with lower contaminant risk. Volatility and price increases in animal products have also made plant-based protein sources more attractive.

Processing remains another consideration as animal proteins lose quality and/or concentrate contaminants with each processing step. As proteins become denatured, minerals like phosphorus and calcium begin to accumulate at high levels in meat meals, and advanced glycation end-products form that may pose health risks to dogs, Buck said. In contrast, most plants actually need cooking to unlock their nutritional value and improve digestibility.

“Plant proteins offer excellent digestibility when properly processed and complete amino acid profiles when combined in a formula,” she said. “They provide natural fiber content that supports gut health and helps with satiety and weight management.”

Properly formulated plant-based diets meet all canine nutritional standards and often provide additional benefits like quality fiber content and antioxidant profiles. Any concerns of nutritional adequacy typically arise from outdated assumptions about plant proteins or limited familiarity with advances in ingredient availability. The vitamins and amino acids used in plant-based formulations are often more bioavailable than their naturally occurring counterparts, and the same supplements, B12, taurine and methionine, are routinely incorporated into conventional pet foods as well.

“In reality, properly formulated plant-based diets can supply all essential nutrients, including complete proteins, essential amino acids, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals,” Merrill said. “What matters isn’t whether nutrients come from plants or animals, but whether the final recipe delivers them in the right amounts and in a digestible form.”

This makes a premix or added individual vitamins and minerals essential to ensure critical nutrients are present in the correct amounts and ratios for the target species and life stage. For some manufacturers, this includes prioritizing plant-derived vitamins and minerals over synthetic whenever possible because naturally occurring nutrients often come packaged with beneficial cofactors that support absorption and overall wellness.

Diets formulated to deliver complete and balanced nutrition follow the nutritional guidelines of organizations like FEDIAF and NRC, and comply with Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) nutrient profiles or pass AAFCO feeding trials for the intended life stage. Rigorous AAFCO validation lab testing then confirms foods comply with the requirements.

“There’s less room for error with plant-based nutrition, which is why you’ll see many plant-based companies go above and beyond with highly credentialed nutrition experts and extensive testing to ensure proper formulation,” Buck said. “We view this extra rigor as essential for building trust with consumers who are trying something new for their dogs.”

Building trust and transparency

Research from BENEO found approximately two in three pet owners consider plant-based proteins to be healthy for their pet and better for the environment. These ingredients require less land, water and energy — generating lower carbon emissions compared to animal agriculture and reducing the upstream impacts of each meal. As the majority of pet food’s environmental footprint comes from ingredient inputs, true sustainability requires addressing what’s inside the bag, not just its packaging.

“For pet parents who’ve made sustainable choices in other areas of their lives, extending that commitment to their pet’s food feels like a natural progression,” Buck said. “They understand that meaningful environmental impact comes from fundamental changes to the product itself, not just how it’s wrapped.”

But consumers who love the idea of plant-based for their pet still want reassurance that it’s safe, complete and actually nutritious. Readily available information can assist pet parents with asking better questions about labels, formulations, sourcing and scientific evidence so they can choose with confidence.

Education around plant-based pet foods can help combat misperceptions and inaccurate health information with transparency.

“Once pet guardians understand a few key points, most concerns fall away,” Schweizer said. “First, all essential nutrients can be found in plants. What matters is nutrient delivery, not whether it originated from an animal or a plant. Second, ‘complete and balanced’ isn’t a marketing phrase, it’s a regulated scientific standard defined by AAFCO. Third, emerging research shows not just parity with meat-based diets, but that they may even outperform them in key health and longevity outcomes.”

Read the article on Pet Food Processing >