Japan’s first soybean meat dog food to launch next spring

It’s not just humans that can choose to be healthy and sustainable. Dogs also have the option to lead different lifestyles through diet choices. PETOKOTO in Shinagawa, Tokyo, known for producing quality dog food, has developed Japan’s first dog food using soybean meat!

Since its establishment in March 2015, PETOKOTO has been striving to improve the QOL of all dogs, cats, and their owners under the mission of making a better world through better human-animal bonding. Their D2C fresh dog food PETOKOTO FOODS, which went on sale in February 2020, provides safe and quality meals that correspond to the condition of each individual dog. Unlike conventional “dry” dog food, which has been the mainstream genre of pet food in Japan up until now, PETOKOTO FOODS keeps the delicious taste, appearance, and nutrients enclosed in their products by steam heating the products and using quick freezing methods as soon as the food is ready. This procedure allows them to deliver their products free of preservatives. Moreover, the company reduced food loss by efficiently using ingredients that would usually be wasted. For example, the sweet potatoes they use are ones that are out of specification and are unsold in the market due to their non-standard appearances. By doing this, their unique product is supporting sustainability and changing the concept of pet food in Japan altogether.

Like their D2C fresh dog food, the company’s newly developed dog food SOY MEAT also uses fresh domestic ingredients and domestically manufactured and processed products. The ingredients of the food include soybean meat, pumpkin, carrot, white rice, Japanese mustard spinach, supplements, ground sesame, flaxseed oil and fish oil. This makes the food highly nutritious as it is full of protein and fiber and low in cholesterol, therefore suitable for dogs who want to stay healthy or go on a diet. The recipe was developed by Nick Cave, a veterinarian who is one of the 95 qualified Diplomates in the American College of Veterinary Nutrition.

As part of their “Sustaina-BULL Action,” PETOKOTO continues to work on SDGs through various initiatives. Their approach to using discarded sweet potatoes was one of the first. They have also adopted environmentally friendly materials such as FSC certified boxes. Now, with “SOY MEAT,” they hope to popularize dog food made of fresh vegetable meat—the first ever of its kind in Japan.

PETOKOTO is now recruiting tasting monitors prior to the release of their new product next spring. In-house testing has already been done, but the company thinks palatability is an important factor in providing rich dining experiences for dogs. Therefore, the company is asking applicants to join in their free monitor tests for each of the four types of soybean meat products they have produced. Why not ask your dog if it wants to give it a try?