Biomega urges pet food industry to ‘think sustainability’

Biomega, a biosciences company that produces sustainable ingredients for both the human and animal health and nutrition sectors, has called for pet food manufacturers, ingredients suppliers and brands to help “drive the sustainability narrative” in the pet food industry.

With the human population expected to grow to ten billion by 2050 and with over 470 million dogs and 370 million cats kept as pets worldwide, global demand for animal-derived protein is set to only increase if current consumption habits continue, according to the group. 

To reach the UN’s sustainability targets by 2025, Biomega is now urging pet food suppliers to “take an important step-change” in their manufacturing process, minimising the environmental impact by switching to sustainable ingredients “sooner rather than later”.

Biomega uses a continuous manufacturing process that enables the company to sustainably upcycle salmon by-products with zero waste, making total use of the rest stream. This enables the company to naturally increase bioavailability, while meeting supplier demand with “consistent” high quality and yield.

Ronald Figee, commercial development manager at Biomega, said: “With a growing pet population, the switch to more sustainable ingredients is key if we are to reduce the environmental impact on our planet. That’s why we are supporting all pet food suppliers to back the sustainability drive and work together to create a balanced ecosystem.”

“Pet food manufacturers are increasingly turning to alternative proteins that aren’t necessarily produced for human consumption. We’re pleased to see this innovation has not slowed down during the ongoing pandemic, but the industry must keep pace and continue to drive the sustainability arc if we are to achieve the UN’s environmental targets by 2025.”

He added: “That’s why Biomega believes 2021 will be a pivotal year in the research and development of sustainable ingredient streams.”