British Veterinary Association Ends Objection to Vegan Dog Food in New Policy Position

After reviewing its guidelines, the British Veterinary Association is no longer discouraging pet owners from feeding their dogs vegan food, as long as it’s nutritionally complete.

The British Veterinary Association (BVA) has recognised that it’s possible to feed dogs fully vegan diets, in what is a major shift in its long-standing position and a big win for the plant-based food sector.

The UK organisation has for years discouraged pet owners from feeding plant-based protein to their furry friends. But it was criticised for this stance, with some pointing to a conflict of interest arising from its partnership with Mars Petcare (a major meat player in the pet sector).

In 2023, as pet food became more humanised and alternative diets more commonplace, the BVA began reviewing its advice. And this week, it finally published its latest policy position, acknowledging that it’s possible for dogs to follow a plant-based diet. Not only that, it also noted the potential of plant-based ingredients to enhance sustainability, thanks to the high emissions of meat production.

“We know that owners of cats and dogs are increasingly drawn to pet diets that reflect their own personal values and lifestyle choices, and this is leading to a surge in alternative approaches to pet food,” said BVA president Anna Judson.

A survey by the association revealed that 42% of pet parents fed their companion animals meat-free diets. “We support owners making informed choices about what to feed their pets, but they must be aware that these choices play a pivotal role in the health of the animal and can also have a wider impact on human health and environmental sustainability,” Judson said.

The latest policy position doesn’t attempt to determine the ‘best’ diet for individual pets, but seeks to focus on supporting the lifestyle choices of pet owners and helping them meet their pets’ nutritional needs.

Plant-based diets possible for dogs

Speaking to the Guardian in 2023, BVA senior VP Justine Shotton said: “There is increasing interest among pet owners around alternative diets for pets, and while there is a lot of ongoing research into the impacts of vegan diets in particular, there has been a lack of robust data mapping the health consequences of this diet over time.”

She added that in light of ongoing research, the association had convened a companion animal feeding working group, which would inform its recommendations going forward. “In the meantime, owners should speak to their vet if they are considering changing their pet’s diet,” she said.

Now, the new policy position states that while meat and cereal-based diets are still the most common, owners now have increasing access to vegetarian or vegan foods, while there’s growing interest in alternative proteins like insects, cultivated meat, and yeast- and algae-based ingredients.

Research has found that vegan diets are the healthiest and least hazardous choice for dogs. The BVA also cites research that supports the use of meat-free food for pets and exhibits skin and gastrointestinal improvements. But it warns that such studies are small-scale and based purely on owner-reported data, so long-term, controlled assessments are needed to determine nutritional safety.

That said, “it is possible to feed dogs a plant-based diet”, the policy position notes. “But owners should be aware of the difficulties in balancing these diets for nutritional needs, the lack of robust long-term data on their safety, and should monitor their dog’s health for long-term impacts,” it adds.

However, the BVA is still against promoting fully vegan or vegetarian diets for cats, pointing to their perceived status as “obligate carnivores” and a lack of suitable synthetic amino acids. But a study last year suggested that vegan food could be healthier for cats than meat (although this was also based on owner responses).

“It is commendable that the BVA has finally ended its unscientific opposition to (nutritionally sound) vegan dog diets and has noted the environmental benefits that plant-based ingredients may provide,” said University of Winchester professor Andrew Knight, who has led a number of studies on vegan pet food, including the aforementioned one on cats. “It is now up to international veterinary associations to follow suit.”

In February 2023, industry body UK Pet Food published similar guidelines that acknowledged animal-derived nutrients can be sourced synthetically or from novel ingredients, so long as they are carefully formulated by highly qualified pet nutritionists. “There is little evidence of adverse effects arising in dogs and cats on vegan diets,” it stated.

Vet group recognises sustainability benefits of vegan pet food

It’s no secret that meat is much more harmful to the planet than plant-based foods – the former accounts for 60% of the world’s agricultural emissions. Because most pet food uses the ‘undesirable’ cuts of meat not destined for human consumption, experts disagree over the true emissions generated by pet food.

However, one study suggests that 20% of all meat produced is used for pet food. And in the UK, pets eat more per year than the entire population under 18, and labradors – the most popular pet dogs in the country – consume 70 million kg of meat annually, nearly 60% more than their owners. Plus, growing livestock and their feed takes up 85% of the UK’s farmland.

The BVA has recognised this, outlining how alternative proteins have been suggested to improve the eco credentials of pet food, but it cautioned that more research is needed to determine whether they’re truly sustainable.

“There has also been a growing interest in plant-based ingredients, including fully vegetarian and vegan diets,” the new policy position states. “Animal ingredients usually have higher environmental impacts overall than plant products, especially in terms of GHG emissions, so increased use of plant-based ingredients could help to improve sustainability, provided further research shows these diets meet nutritional needs over time.”

Research by Knight has also suggested that if all dogs were put on a nutritionally complete vegan diet, it would help feed nearly 450 million people and save more emissions than what the UK produces.

The BVA also laid out concerns about the trend towards pet owners seeking “higher-value meat content” instead of byproducts, which would result in greater transportation and storage costs, more waste, and higher climate impacts. “Premium brands may also seek to use [fewer] grains and cereals, unsustainably increasing the total meat content with no evidence that this benefits animal health and welfare,” it says.

The alternative pet food sector has been steadily growing over the last few years, with brands like Hownd, The Pack and Wild Earth some of the leading vegan manufacturers.

But even more activity has come from the cultivated meat sector – earlier this month, UK-based Meatly became the world’s first company to be approved to sell cultivated chicken for pets. In the same week in the US, Friends & Family Pet Food Co inked a deal with Umami Bioworks to make cultivated fish for cats, and Cult Food Science announced it would begin FDA feeding trials for its Noochies! cultivated dog treats as part of the regulatory clearance process..