A Comparison of Key Essential Nutrients in Commercial Plant-Based Pet Foods Sold in Canada to American and European Canine and Feline Dietary Recommendations.

Abstract

Simple SummaryPlant-based pet foods appear to be growing in popularity, but it is unclear how suitable these products are for dogs and cats, considering both species naturally consume diets rich in, or exclusively comprised of, animal tissues. Laboratory analyses of essential nutrients were performed on 26 plant-based diets available in Ontario, Canada in 2018, including 18 canine products (13 products labelled for adult maintenance, four for all life stages, one for puppy growth), 5 feline products (two for adult maintenance and three for all life stages), and 3 products labelled for both dogs and cats (one for adult maintenance and two for all life stages). The nutrient measurements were compared to industry standard nutrient profiles. Four products met the recommendations of the Association of American Feed Control Officials and one product the nutrient recommendations of the European Pet Food Industry Federation for adult dogs. No diets met recommended nutrient content for adult cats or growing puppies or kittens. Nutrients most commonly found to be insufficient were: sulfur amino acids, taurine, arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA, calcium phosphorus and vitamin D. These nutrients are all typically found in animal tissues, though non-animal sources are available, and require careful formulation or supplementation in products made without animal-derived ingredients. Compliance with Canadian labelling regulation and guidelines was poor. These problems do not appear to be exclusive to plant-based foods and have been demonstrated previously in commercially available animal-based products as well. This study demonstrates areas where manufacturers of plant-based pet foods must improve formulation and/or manufacturing practices to produce products appropriate for feeding cats and dogs.Plant-based foods intended for feeding dogs and cats are available in Canada, though few studies have examined the suitability of plant-based foods for dogs and cats. All commercial plant-based extruded and wet pet food products available in Ontario, Canada, in 2018 (n = 26) were acquired and analysed for energy, crude protein, crude fat, crude fibre, ash, amino acids, fatty acids, minerals and vitamins A, B12, D2 and D3. Results were compared with recommendations of the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) and the European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF). Thirteen products were labelled for adult canine maintenance, four for canine all life stages, one for puppy growth, two for adult feline maintenance, three for feline all life stages, one for adult maintenance of dogs and cats and two for all life stages of dogs and cats. Four products met AAFCO and one product met FEDIAF nutrient recommendations for canine maintenance. No diets met AAFCO or FEDIAF recommendations for feline maintenance or growth for either species. Nutrients most commonly found insufficient were: sulfur amino acids, taurine, arachidonic acid, EPA and DHA, calcium phosphorus and vitamin D. There were no nutrients unable to be provided from non-animal sources. Compliance with labelling guidelines was also poor, similar to other findings with commercial animal-based pet products. The results from this study indicate areas where producers of plant-based pet foods must improve to meet the industry recommended nutrient profiles and labelling requirements.