Yum, crickets! Said no one ever.
But what does Fido think?
Since globally pets consume an estimated 20% of meat and fish in their countries, environmentally conscious pet owners — who have reduced their own carbon footprint — are looking at their furry friends to help out too by swapping animal protein for insects.
Europe is leading the charge with a company called Yora introducing the first insect protein pet food in 2019.
Crickets
Again in Europe, the Mars and Nestle pet food divisions have begun selling dog and cat food including insect protein as the idea of a ‘carbon pawprint’ for ‘climate-conscious consumers.’
Or your pet can try Petcare’s Lovebug, a dry cat food made without traditional beef or poultry protein but rather from black soldier fly larvae.
When you consider that insects take up 80% less land than beef and the grubs are fed on surplus veggies and plants and sourced from a farm powered by 100% renewable electricity, it makes perfect sense.
“I do expect this trend to continue to grow and it seems cricket protein seems to be the most popular and the most plentiful,” says one English expert. “Dogs will eat it, but the biggest obstacle is getting consumers to accept it with open arms.”