- VAFO, a leading European producer of superpremium pet foods, is introducing a new brand of sustainable dog and cat foods: Planet Pet Society
- It uses raw ingredients “with a second chance” – unused food resources from human consumption.
- Planet Pet Society is 100% climate neutral. In production, it uses local raw ingredients, renewable energy sources, and fully recyclable packaging.
- A full one percent from sales of the new food goes to a project to restore seagrasses in the Baltic Sea that provide shelter for many animals. In this way, VAFO is directly contributing to the protection of biodiversity.
- The new brand represents yet another step in VAFO’s strategic plan to maximize the sustainability of its products while ensuring the smallest possible impact on the environment.
Leading European pet food producer VAFO is introducing a new brand of superpremium foods. The unique pet foods of Planet Pet Society are made using ingredients “with a second chance”.
Second-chance ingredients are nutritionally rich and high-quality, unused food created during the processing of meats, fruits, and vegetables. The new brand is 100% climate neutral thanks to its unique composition, modern production, fully recyclable packaging, and carbon offsetting. In this way, VAFO is responding to the global problem of food waste in the spirit of a responsible business strategy. Moreover, purchases of Planet Pet Society foods will actively support the restoration of the Baltic Sea.
VAFO has long been committed to reducing the impact of its business on the planet. Therefore, all decisions in the company go hand in hand with a sustainability strategy based on five pillars: reduction of CO2 emissions in all processes; use of fully recyclable packaging for up to 95% of its products; use of renewable energy sources; responsible employee conduct; and a 50% increase in the use of sustainable ingredients. And it’s precisely this last pillar that is upheld by VAFO’s new brand – Planet Pet Society.
Planet Pet Society makes use of raw animal parts left over from primary production, such as meat trimmings, organs (liver, kidney, trachea), cartilage, and fish skin, all of which are excellent sources of nutritious proteins and essential amino acids. And dogs and cats naturally seek out and prefer offal in their food. VAFO takes the same approach to fruits and vegetables. Dehydrated apple peels from local cider houses and vegetable pulp are ideal raw ingredients with lots of vitamins and minerals.
Surveys have shown that up to 61% of pet owners want to know the environmental footprint of the pet food they buy. Sustainability is important to them, so naturally it’s something they look at when choosing products for their pets.
“Upcycling is a new way of looking at the selection of quality, nutritionally rich ingredients with a smaller impact on the planet. They’re ideal for covering the natural nutritional needs of dogs and cats with a primary component of animal protein, while at the same time easing the strain on the environment. We’ve developed a food that’s friendly to the environment and reduces food waste. And it’s because we love nature, just like our four-legged buddies do, so we want to do what we can to protect it for them,” says Karolína Čápová, Head of Product at VAFO Group.
Importantly, Planet Pet Society also actively contributes to the protection of the planet’s biodiversity. In cooperation with the initiative 1% For The Planet, VAFO donates one percent from sales of the food to the Finnish organization John Nurminen Foundation. Among other things, the organization is dedicated to the restoration of seagrasses in the Baltic Sea, which provide shelter for numerous marine species. The project involves the restoration of sea meadows by transplanting eelgrass seedlings to locations where it has already disappeared. “We decided to support the seagrass restoration project in the Baltic Sea because its waters bathe the shores of almost all the countries in which VAFO has branches. Put simply, we’re helping out in the places where we have activities,” explains Čápová.
VAFO continues on the path to a wholly sustainable business and produces pet foods with maximum respect for nature and ecology. In this way, the company is responsibly fulfilling its obligations to produce food with love for pets and the planet we live on together. VAFO is a pioneer and European leader in the use of alternative proteins from insects, bacteria, and plants.
