Environmental Impact of Pet Food

Image Credit: Pixabay

Pet food is a huge part of your life if you have done anything with your own pets. You know that they need specific diets and that you want to take care of all that they are doing as well. That being said, did you ever think that there could be an environmental impact of the food that you’re feeding your furry friends? How does it impact the environment and, above all else, why does it even matter that there is an impact on the environment?

What Is the Impact?

• It Means That We Have to Produce More Food. The biggest issue here is that, in a world that is already straining to make sure that every human is being fed, we also have to make sure that our pets are fed. Where the problem comes in is, if we insist that our pets get “human grade” food, with prime cuts of meat and such. The fact is, that means that we’re putting more pressure on the environment and making more waste – many times, the meat by-products are better for the environment because it can be helpful to preventing further issues.
• Food Practices May Not Be The Best. Is your pet food sustainable? Are the practices used in regards to getting your pet what they need sustainable? If not, then you may want to consider switching to a brand that focuses on sustainable practices (for example, sustainable fishing and farming). There are plenty of places you can look, including the Aquaculture Stewardship Council, so that you can determine which of these may be the best for your pet and also use the practices that help the environment to thrive.
• They Help to Reduce Waste in Landfills. Here’s a positive – if you go with standard pet food that uses the meat by-products, not only are you giving your pets a ton of nutritional value, but you are also helping the environment. This actually makes it so that those by-products are not sitting around in landfills. Which means, in turn, that they aren’t rotting away and causing different sorts of gasses to go into the air. This, in turn, makes our ozone last longer. So using by-products instead of choice cuts is definitely a win-win situation for our world, our pets, and our budgets!

Why Does It Matter?

As with anything, we all want to make sure that we are decreasing our environmental damage as much as we can. So, as a result, you may be looking at a number of factors related to whether or not you can reduce the impact you have on the world around you. And that’s one of the main reasons that this is going to matter to you. That’s why companies like TufToys have really started to look at their practices and see what they can do to be environmentally friendly and sustainable, both of which allow us to give back to the world that has given so much to us in the first place.