ST. LOUIS, MO. — Instinct Pet Food announced an expansion to its Instinct® Raw Longevity™ line with the addition of new recipes made with sustainably wild-caught Alaskan Pollock. Formulated for dogs, the recipes have been developed with sustainability top of mind.

According to a study, “Environmental Impacts of Food Consumption by Dogs and Cats” by Greg Okin, meat-based pet diets contribute about 64 million tons of carbon dioxide to the environment yearly. With this in mind, Instinct has developed new formulas using Alaskan Pollock, which has a low carbon footprint at 3.77 CO₂ emissions, according to the company.

Traditional animal-based proteins, like chicken, pork and beef, have much higher carbon footprints at 12.50, 19.65 and 115.75 CO₂ emissions, respectively, according to Instinct. Though plant-based proteins may offer a better alternative to some animal-based meats, these proteins still have a large carbon footprint at 20.83 CO₂ emissions, according to the company.

As well as lowering its carbon footprint, Instinct is ensuring sustainability by using wild-caught Alaskan Pollock sourced from fisheries certified by the Marine Stewardship Council (MSC). MSC certification covers fishing practices to prevent overexploitation and overfishing; ecosystem maintenance and management; and local, national and international regulatory compliance.

According to Instinct, it is the first national pet food brand to launch a complete-and-balanced raw fish recipe formulated with MSC-certified fish that also meets guidelines set by the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO).

The recipes include two formats — patties, available frozen raw; and bites, available frozen raw or freeze-dried raw — all of which contain Alaskan Pollock. The products contain high levels of Omega 3s, to promote cognitive, immune, heart, kidney, and skin and coat health, and help reduce inflammation. The formulas also contain sunflower oil, pumpkin seeds, yellow squash, apples, carrots, flaxseed, miscanthus grass, spinach, broccoli, blueberries, cranberries, vitamins, minerals and other functional ingredients to support overall health in dogs.

The new recipes are exclusively available at neighborhood pet stores.

Read more about sustainability efforts in the pet food and treat industry.