carbon footprint – Is it sustainable to eat meat that would otherwise go for animal feed? – GWC Mag

It is possible to purchase offal mostly from cows and pigs at the butcher. While this is generally sold as dog food it is treated with human food hygiene standards at my butcher at least. I am informed by them that most of this product goes into the mass market pet food chain. It is worth noting that it is “sustainable” on the wallet, costing between £1.5/Kg for liver/kidneys and £2.5/Kg for ox heart.

Is it possible to say if subsisting with this as a major source of protein in ones diet is environmentally sustainable? On one hand one is contributing to the animal production industry with its significant environmental footprint, on the other it is not the offal market that is driving the industry and it seems likely that any shortfall in the supply of of offal to the pet food industry is likely to be made up with plant protein.