Biomega Group (‘Biomega’), a leading biosciences company producing high-quality sustainable ingredients for the human and animal health & nutrition sectors, has called for pet food manufacturers, ingredients suppliers and brands to make the switch to more sustainable ingredients to 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[1], global demand for animal-derived protein will only increase, should current consumption habits continue. To reach the United Nation’s (‘UN’) sustainability targets by 2025, Biomega is 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.
“With a growing pet population, the switch to more sustainable ingredients is key if we are to reduce the environmental impact on our planet,” said Ronald Figee, Commercial Development Manager at Biomega. “That’s why we are supporting all pet food suppliers to back the sustainability drive and work together to create a balanced ecosystem.”
Backed by several world-leading accreditations, including the Good Manufacturing Practice and Friend of the Sea certification programs, 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. It’s this 24/7 patented process that enables the biosciences company to naturally increase bioavailability, while meeting supplier demand with consistent high quality and yield.
Reducing the impact of human food waste by using animal and seafood by-products in pet food is just one way of minimising the environmental impact. As such, Biomega is encouraging the pet food industry to think about sustainability in alternative ways.
Figee added: “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. That’s why Biomega believes 2021 will be a pivotal year in the research and development of sustainable ingredient streams.”
For more information on Biomega and its sustainability initiative, please visit: https://biomegagroup.com/
[1] Statisa, Number of dogs and cats kept as pets worldwide in 2018