Ethical Dog Food

The companion animal food sector is booming, with new brands and different products appearing all the time. This guide covers adult dog food, although some of the brands also sell puppy food as well as supplementary treats and chews. We have included dry and wet food, but not raw meat brands or special diets, though raw meat diets are discussed in the guide.

In the UK 27% of adults in the UK share their home with a dog, totalling over 10 million dogs.

As well as toys, beds, medication, insurance, and many other things, our beloved companions need to eat. But while the furry ones in our homes are often members of the family, this can often come at the expense of other animals, workers, and the environment.

But the good news is that with over 30 brands in the guide, there are quite a few high-scoring brands for you and your dog to choose from. Caring for the animals in our lives can be done more ethically, with some companies doing better than others to address their impacts.

We highlight the difference between the top ethically sourced dog food, and the more well-known big brands who are very low scoring, and thus in the dog house.

Vegan dog food

Only 55% of people with a dog in the UK felt well informed about a dog's diet, according to the 2022 PDSA PAW report. This isn’t surprising, as there is so much conflicting marketing and information out there.

Nutrients needed by dogs

In terms of nutrients, the UK’s Pet Food Manufacturers Association endorses nutritionally complete vegan diets for dogs, and says that “nutrients that were previously only available from animal-based ingredients can now be made synthetically or be sourced from novel ingredients”.

There are a variety of ways to fulfil nutritional requirements from different sources, and the nutritional guidelines for dog food nutrition from FEDIAF (the European Pet Food Industry) are seen as a gold standard.

For some, nutrition is what matters most. One of the nutritionally complete vegan brands we rated says on its website,

“To those emphasising that a plant based diet is not natural for cats and dogs, please be reminded that in the wild cats do not hunt for tuna, just like dogs do not hunt for cows. Our aim is to offer our four-legged friends a diet that meets their nutritional needs.”

Evidence on health impacts of vegan dog food

A 2023 systematic evidence review titled, ‘The Impact of Vegan Diets on Indicators of Health in Dogs and Cats’, evaluated all of the research to date.

The researchers concluded, “that there has been limited scientific study on the impact of vegan diets on cat and dog health… However, there is little evidence of adverse effects arising in dogs and cats on vegan diets… Given the lack of large population-based studies, a cautious approach is recommended.”

Ultimately, assessing whether pet food is nutritious and healthy is more important than whether it contains meat or not. Needs may also change across a lifetime and as food sensitivities develop.

Companies at the top of our tables include those who produce vegan products as well as those who do not produce vegan products, so there should be something for everyone in this guide.

FEDIAF compliant dog food brands

According to FEDIAF’s code of good practice for labelling, if dog food is labelled as ‘complete’ then the product should meet all of the nutrients needed when given in the instructed amounts, and the diet does not need to be supplemented. Of the brands in our guide:

Nutritionally complete FEDIAF compliant products: Ami, Applaws, Benevo, Butternut Box, Encore, Hownd, Scrumbles, Yarrah, Yora.

Offers a complete product, but is not explicit on whether it is FEDIAF compliant: Bakers, Barking Heads, Beco, Cesar, Chappie, Iams, Lily’s Kitchen, Pooch & Mutt, V-Dog.

Product information says it is complete, but it is not labelled as complete pet food: James Wellbeloved, Royal Canin, Winalot.

Does not say: AATU, Eukanuba, Hill’s Science (“100% balanced and healthy” was not seen to count), Purina Pro Plan, Wafcol.

The animals in dog food

For some, the conditions of farmed and other food animals will matter rather than avoiding animal products altogether. But the need to drastically reduce consumption and the problems arising from mainstream animal farming is indisputable, with implications for animals (including wild populations), the environment, biodiversity, and human rights.

Buying human-grade meat and fish products for cats and dogs is a rising trend, so it’s not only the case of using ‘leftovers’ or parts otherwise not consumed. Even if the majority of cat and dog food products are from ‘leftovers’, buying these (profitable) products still acts to feed the demand for meat and fish and support the livestock industry. According to 2020 figures, 94% of non-human mammal biomass on Earth is terrestrially farmed animals, and 71% of bird biomass is farmed poultry.

A study published in October 2023 and reported by The Guardian found that dogs consume 7.7% of all terrestrially farmed animals, excluding billions of aquatic animals. The research found that if all the world's dogs transitioned to a nutritionally sound vegan diet, this would feed an additional population the size of the EU and free up land mass the size of Mexico, among other environmental impacts.

Ethical trade-offs

The environmental impacts of global animal farming are well documented, as are the animal welfare consequences. Things become more complex when these two considerations are pitted against each other.

From an environmental perspective, poultry and fish species have a lower climate impact than cows and other ruminants. One of the companies we rated, Scrumbles, said that it only used chicken and fish in its products for this reason. However, meat chickens and aquatic animals are the most intensively farmed and killed groups of animals in terms of numbers, with dire consequences for the lives of those species, as well as human rights issues.

Aquatic animals in dog food

Some dog food brands include multiple fish species in their products, and when compared to land animals, consuming aquatic species is often seen as better in terms of the environment and as a healthy option. But at what cost?

Alarmingly, a 2021 review about the global animal welfare risks in aquaculture found that only 30% of species used in aquaculture have known information regarding welfare needs, with 20 times the number of species used in aquaculture compared to farmed land animals (around 408 aquatic species). As aquatic animals are only reported by the Food and Agriculture Organisation in tonnes, it was calculated that this represents 250 to 408 billion animals. This only includes those who are farmed – there are also the animals fished from the wild.

Certifications for fish

Several brands in the guide offer Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) or Aquaculture Stewardship Council (ASC) certified fish products, including Yarrah, Scrumbles, and Beco.

A 2023 report from a three year project by Human Rights at Sea which investigated international certifications across fisheries and aquaculture found that MSC and ASC both scored 0 out of 16 criteria for human rights (with the exception of ASC’s seaweed and feed standards). Neither certification includes any criteria for animal welfare, either.

Although certifications are usually better than nothing, with no protections for human rights or for aquatic animal welfare in these certifications, MSC and ASC aren’t particularly ethical.

Wild caught versus farmed aquatics

It’s not straightforward comparing the ethics of farmed versus wild caught aquatic animals, as both come with many very ethically troubling issues.

Farmed aquatic animals are excluded from many animal welfare protections including at killing, where the mandatory CCTV legislation for slaughterhouses does not require CCTV to be installed in farmed fish slaughter premises.

Soil Association organic fish and aquaculture standards, which are considered to be high welfare standards, do not include mandatory parameters for transporting and killing aquatic species, only recommendations. Despite the vast numbers of animals killed, research on reliable and efficient killing methods for fishes as well as other aquatic species is still under development.  

Although left in peace for more time, the way in which wild caught animals are commercially extracted, captured, and killed, in the words of one researcher, involves suffering in a “vast range of violent and painful ways”. Capture, crowding, removal from water, and crushing is an acutely stressful chain of events for wild fishes. Some of the most commonly used methods of killing include mass death through suffocation on ice or in air.

To find out more, the fishcount website and the Human Slaughter Association’s website have useful resources about some of the issues faced by fishes, and what better standards look like. Compassion in World Farming also has several information sheets about some of the main welfare challenges to wild caught and farmed species.

Read about issues facing workers in the fishing supply chain in the cat food guide.

Other ethical and sustainable dog food issues

Organic dog food

The only nearly 100% organic company was Yarrah, with the exception of its fish which was MSC certified. In a response to Ethical Consumer in 2019, it explained why its fish was not organic:

“Organic fish has to be fed with sustainably caught, non-organic fish. Around 3-4 kg of sustainable fish is needed to raise 1 kg of organic fish” and “A few of our products contain salmon. Salmon is a fish that swims solo in the wild. Organic salmon have to be forced to swim in shoals”. 

Other brands in our guide offering an organic product are Benevo and Lily’s Kitchen - the latter is owned by Nestlé.

Palm oil-free dog food

Only one company, Yora, had an explicit company-wide no palm oil policy on its website.

Although not on its website, when asked by Ethical Consumer, Scrumbles did not use palm oil.
 
Companies with no explicit policy but ingredients were viewed and no palm oil was found: Ami, Beco, Dogmates (Butternut Box), Inspired Pet Nutrition (Wagg, AATU, Harringtons, Barking Heads), MPM Products (Applaws, Encore), Pooch & Mutt,  Power Pet Brands (Hownd), Vegeco (Benevo, V-dog), Yarrah.
 
Companies receiving worst palm oil rating: Nestlé, Colgate-Palmolive.

GMO-free dog food

GMO stands for genetically modified organisms, which is commonly found is non-organic farming. GMOs are a source of controversy, as animals and plants can be genetically modified with genes either removed or inserted. If not in ingredients directly, most non-organic farmed animals will be fed on corn and soya which is likely to be genetically modified.  

Company wide, publicly available explicit policy prohibiting the use of GMO: Ami.

No policy, but vegan or organic company with ingredients unlikely to be GMO: Power Pet Brands (Hownd),.Vegeco (Benevo, V-dog), Yarrah.

Companies that previously told EC in 2019 were GMO free, but did not respond in 2023: Yora, Beco.

Companies without explicit policies or not tracking GMO in animal feed: Colgate Palmolive, Inspired Pet Nutrition (Wagg, Harrington’s, AATU, Barking Heads), MPM Products (Applaws, Encore), Pooch & Mutt, Scrumbles, Spectrum Brands (Iams, Eukanuba, Wafcol), Mars (Cesar, Chappie, James Wellbeloved, Pedigree, Royal Canin).
 
Companies found to use GMO products: Nestlé (Winalot, Bakers, Purina).

Does ethical dog food cost more?

We looked at a range of brands at the top, middle, and bottom of our table to compare prices. Some of the brands operate mainly online and offer discounts for subscriptions, so we have included this information too. Prices vary depending on where you look, so we have looked at the prices listed on the brand websites if they sell directly from it. All prices are of the largest bag of dry food offered divided into price per kg. Listed A to Z.

*With discount applied for first order. Information based on a 14kg whippet, its packages are personalised so prices will vary. Price given for 14 x 300g pouches.

Packaging and sustainability

Plastic waste from single-use plastic and non-recyclable materials heavily pollutes communities and the environment. The majority being discarded and incinerated, fuelling inequalities across the globe, with high-consuming countries dumping their waste in low-income countries.

Avoid brands that use plastic single-use pouches or other non-recyclable materials. Also even if the package says it is recyclable, check where you will be able to recycle – some packaging materials are only recycled at places like supermarkets or with your local council.

What did companies say about their packaging?

Not all of the companies mentioned their packaging. We included information we could find below:

As of 2021, Yarrah’s bags are fully recyclable, albeit made from plastic. It still uses individual food pouches which aren’t yet fully recyclable.

Inspired Pet Nutrition (Wagg, Harringtons, AATU, and Barking Heads) says that all of its packaging is 98% recyclable and it's working towards 100%.

Pooch & Mutt have pledged that all of its packaging will be recyclable by 2025. Its wet food comes in 100% recyclable TetraPaks.

Scrumbles said it planned to reduce the amount of packaging for its products by 33% in 2022 (it didn’t give an update on whether it met this) and that its treat range packaging is 100% recyclable. In 2023, it aims to have 100% recyclable cat food tins, though current progress with this is unknown.

Mars (Cesar, Chappie, James Wellbeloved, Pedigree, Royal Canin) has the aim of using 100% recyclable packaging by 2025.

In 2022, Purina (of Nestlé) launched its first “designed to be recyclable” pouch ranges in the UK, and it promised to introduce reusable or recyclable packaging by 2025. It wasn’t clear how much would be recyclable, or “reusable”, nor what “reusable” even means.

Butternut Box has information on its website about how to recycle its packaging, with different instructions for different components. It uses a mixture of paper, soft plastic, non-recyclable pouches, and wool for insulating its food.

Beco also has information on how to recycle its packaging on its website. Its packaging of dry food is 85% paper and 15% polylactide (PLA). It says that its paper is compostable, and PLA is industrially compostable through your local council (if they offer industrial composting, such as for food waste collection). Beco says that its bag is certified for recycling through schemes such as Terracycle.

Food banks for dog food

In 2022, the RSPCA found that 19% of people were concerned about the cost of feeding their pet. Due to changing life circumstances and the rising cost of living, some people have reported having to choose between feeding themselves, their dogs, or their children.

To either use or donate to a pet food bank, the RSPCA has a useful resource on its website to find your nearest pet food bank, as do the Blue Cross. You can donate items including tins, dried biscuits and treats, toys, beds and blankets. Some supermarkets also have pet food donation points either for local food banks or animal rescue charities.

An [O], [M], [A] or [S] in the score table after a brand name means the product has been awarded a sustainability point for being organic, MSC certified, approved vegetarian or vegan [A], or free range meat [S].

Note

We are not nutritionists, so if you would like further information about the nutritional aspects of diet you should contact a nutrition specialist with scientific training in animal science and nutrition.