Fish-based pet food may expose cats and dogs to forever chemicals

Many pet foods – especially those based on fish – have levels of so-called forever chemicals that exceed European health agency thresholds for humans.

The findings point to an urgent need for increased monitoring of contaminants in pet products and a better understanding of risks to companion animals, says Kei Nomiyama at Ehime University in Japan.

“Our findings do not indicate an immediate health emergency, but they do highlight a knowledge gap,” he says. “Pet owners who wish to reduce potential exposure may consider paying attention to ingredient composition and diversifying protein sources.”

Perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are artificial chemicals used in a wide range of products, which can persist in the environment for hundreds or thousands of years. People who experience regular exposure to PFAS have increased risks of liver damage, certain cancers and other health problems. While research on their effects on pets remains limited, studies in cats have linked certain PFAS with diseases of the liver, thyroid, kidneys and respiratory system.

Nomiyama and his colleagues had already found persistent organic pollutants in pet foods. Since PFAS are so widely present globally – especially in rivers and oceans – they suspected they’d also find traces of those contaminants as well.

To find out, they measured concentrations of 34 kinds of PFAS in popular varieties of wet and dry pet foods – 48 for dogs and 52 for cats – marketed in Japan between 2018 and 2020. Then, using approximate meal sizes and body weights for dogs and cats, the team calculated how much PFAS a pet would ingest per day, for each product.

Several of the products had moderate to high levels of PFAS – often exceeding the daily intake limits (per kilogram of body weight) set for humans by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA).

Among dog foods, some of the highest levels appeared in Japanese grain-based products – possibly due to agricultural runoff or fish byproducts as protein sources, says Nomiyama. By contrast, meat-based products generally had low PFAS, with one Japanese and two Australian brands containing none.

As for the cat foods, fish-based products from Asia, the US and Europe had the highest PFAS levels, especially a fish-based wet food made in Thailand.

“The ocean often acts as a final sink for many synthetic chemicals,” says Nomiyama. “In simple terms, PFAS can move through and concentrate within aquatic food webs.”

Regional differences may reflect historical and current patterns of PFAS production and use, as well as differences in raw material sourcing, he says. Even so, PFAS contamination is a global issue. “More globally harmonised monitoring would be valuable,” he says.

EFSA declined to comment on the study’s findings, but said its proposed intake limits for humans shouldn’t be applied as such to the risk assessment of other animals.

Nomiyama agrees – but emphasises that the findings nonetheless reflect abnormally high levels of PFAS, and that risk assessments for pets merit development.

“Companion animals share our environment and, in many ways, act as sentinels of chemical exposure,” he says. “Understanding contaminant levels in pet food is not only a matter of animal health but also contributes to our broader understanding of environmental pollution pathways. Long-term exposure and species-specific toxicity assessments in companion animals deserve further attention.”

Håkon Austad Langberg at Akvaplan-niva, a Norwegian non-profit research institute, says the findings don’t come as a surprise. “These substances are globally distributed, and several PFAS are known to persist and, in some cases, accumulate and/or magnify through food webs,” he says.

“The larger problem is that PFAS are everywhere, and both people and animals are exposed from multiple sources,” says Langberg. “These compounds are found across environmental media and in numerous products, resulting in cumulative exposure for people and animals alike. The study contributes valuable data to that wider challenge.”