Nourishing Pets Sustainably: How Co-Products Help Feed Our Pets and the Planet
Australia’s pet food industry is quietly evolving, and it’s great news for both pets and the planet. As sustainability becomes more important across farming, manufacturing, and everyday shopping, pet food makers are finding smarter ways to reduce waste and use resources responsibly. One of the most effective approaches is turning parts of animals that people don’t usually eat into nutritious, high-quality ingredients suitable for petfood formulations.
These ingredients, known as co-products, are helping meet the world’s growing demand for protein while making sure nothing valuable goes to waste.
What is CoProducts and Why Are They Great for Pets?
Co-products include nutrient-rich parts of an animal , such as offal (including liver, and kidney, etc)., fat, bones, and cartilage, that remain after the cuts meant for human meals are removed. While they may not be common on our dinner plates, they can provide valuable nutrients while being palatable and digestible, so a great ingredient for our pets.
From a pet nutrition perspective, coproducts aren’t “leftovers.” They’re purposeful, nutrient-rich ingredients, included in formulations to help support your pet’s health by providing:
• Quality protein with essential and non-essential amino acids
• Essential vitamins and minerals
• Natural sources of collagen, glucosamine, and chondroitin
• Natural flavour pets love
Many of these ingredients can be more rich in specific nutrients than the muscle meat humans prefer. For example:
• Liver is packed with vitamin A, B vitamins, iron, and amino acids
• Kidney provides highquality protein and minerals
• Bones and cartilage can offer natural collagen and joint supporting nutrients
The key fact to remember is while these ingredients are incredibly valuable, their inclusion must be carefully balanced to ensure micro and macronutrient suitability for cats and dogs. This is where standards and formulation expertise is important. Pet food companies utilise these ingredients purposefully, guided by the Australian Standard AS581:2023 to create balanced, nutritious diets while also reducing waste.
Why CoProducts Matter for Sustainability
Using the whole animal is an important part of building a more sustainable food system. Australia’s red meat and poultry industries already operate efficiently, but co-product use takes this even further by turning valuable materials into premium pet nutrition instead of letting them go unused.
This approach helps by:
• Reducing waste
• Lowering environmental impact
• Supporting a more circular, efficient food system
• Easing pressure on global protein supplies
With global food production needing to increase significantly by 2050 (FAO, 2018), making full use of every resource is becoming essential.
You May Have Heard the Term By-Products. What’s the difference?
The term ‘by-products’ is commonly used internationally to describe secondary materials generated during processing and in practice often refer to similar ingredients as co-products. In Australia, the PFIAA has helped to support transparency in labelling by defining co-products as parts of animals that aren’t main muscle meat but include organs, fat, viscera, bones etc. By-products sit outside of this definition but are safe and nutritious componentsadvantageous for inclusion in petfood formulations.
The Role of the Australian Pet Food Industry
The Australian Pet Food Industry Association of Australia (PFIAA) supports responsible sourcing, transparency, and science-based nutrition. Co-product use aligns perfectly with these values, helping ensure pet food is safe, nutritious, and produced with care for our pets and the environment. The Standard, AS5812: 2023 provides definitions and labelling requirements for ingredients such as meat and co-products, supporting transparency and consistency across pet food products.
What This Means for the Future of Pet Food
As sustainability expectations grow, whole-animal utilisation will continue shaping how pet food is made. Advances in processing and nutrition science are expanding the range of coproducts that can be used safely and effectively, giving pets even more high-quality options.
Tips for Pet Owners
• Check the label: Look for clear ingredient names and a complete nutritional analysis.
• Look for “complete and balanced”: This ensures the food is formulated to meet recognised standards set to fulfil your pet’s nutritional needs.
• If feeding fresh ingredients at home: Speak with a veterinary nutritionist to avoid imbalances (for example, too much liver can lead to excess vitamin A).
In Summary
Co-products are more than a sustainability trend… they’re a smart, safe and responsible way to nourish pets. By transforming parts of animals that humans don’t typically eat into valuable nutritional ingredients, Australia’s pet food industry is reducing waste, improving protein availability, and helping build a more sustainable future for pets and people alike.