# Sustainable Pet Diets: A Leading Effective Altruism Issue

## TL;DR

Switching to sustainable pet diets could save billions of animals, reduce environmental harm, and improve food security, making it a high-impact cause.

## Contribution

This study applies the effective altruism framework to pet diets, revealing their potential as a neglected high-impact cause.

## Key findings

- Global transition to vegan pet diets could spare seven billion land animals and billions of marine animals from slaughter.
- Such a shift could free enough food energy to feed 519 million people and reduce greenhouse gases by 1.5 times the UK's annual output.
- 13–18% of pet guardians are open to vegan diets, potentially transitioning hundreds of millions of pets.

## Abstract

Animal-based ingredients dominate dog and cat food, but growing concerns about animal welfare and the environment are increasing interest in more sustainable options, such as plant-based and cultivated meat-based pet foods. This study evaluated the case for sustainable pet food using the effective altruism framework of scale, neglectedness, and tractability, and found strong support on all three. Globally, by 2018, at least 9% of land animals farmed each year were used to feed dogs and cats, with more consumed by average dogs (13) than by average people (9) annually. Switching to nutritionally sound vegan pet diets worldwide could spare around seven billion land animals and many billions of marine animals from slaughter, while freeing enough food energy to feed 519 million people. Transitioning only dogs could cut greenhouse gas emissions equal to 1.5 times the UK’s annual output and free land larger than Mexico. Despite these benefits, sustainable pet food receives little funding, attention, or talent. However, the issue is tractable: 13–18% of pet guardians would consider vegan diets if their concerns were met. Assuming only one dog or cat per guardian this could allow at least 70 million dogs and 86 million cats to transition globally, with the true figures probably several times greater. Overall, sustainable pet diets are a largely overlooked but high-impact opportunity to reduce farmed animal consumption, lower environmental harm, and improve food security.

While animal-derived ingredients continue to dominate pet food, mounting animal welfare and environmental pressures are starting to reshape the market—opening the door to plant-based and cultivated meat alternatives for dogs and cats. This study assessed the effective altruism case for more sustainable pet food options, using the scale, neglectedness, and tractability framework, and found strong alignment across all three dimensions. By 2018, at least 9% of farmed land animals were fed to companion dogs and cats globally, with more consumed by average dogs (13) than by average people (9) annually. A global transition to nutritionally sound vegan pet diets could spare seven billion farmed land animals and many billions of marine animals from slaughter and could feed 519 million additional people using food energy savings. Such a transition for dogs alone could eliminate 1.5 times the quantity of greenhouse gases produced annually by the UK and free up land larger than Mexico. Yet, sustainable pet food is a highly neglected issue in terms of funding, time, and talent. The issue appears tractable; 13–18% of dog and cat guardians would consider vegan pet diets if their concerns about them were addressed. Assuming only one dog or cat per guardian, at least 70 million dogs and 86 million cats worldwide could potentially be transitioned to vegan diets, with the true figures probably several times higher. Sustainable pet diets, therefore, represent a highly impactful yet overlooked opportunity to reduce farmed animal consumption, mitigate associated environmental impacts, and improve food security.