Did you know that cats and dogs consume 20% of the world’s meat and fish ? According to a study by the University of Sydney published in the scientific journal Plos One in 2017, feeding our pets accounts for a quarter of the environmental impact produced by meat production. Surprised? Well, the figure is expected to increase in the coming years …
Looking at the picture, the president of the British Veterinary Association (BVA), Simon Doherty, has come out in defense of insect-based proteins as a way to reduce the environmental impact of the pet food sector .
“The agri-food sector simply cannot continue to do things as we have always done them. The UK has a long history of innovation in agricultural technology. As a profession, we must continue to provide leadership and embrace innovative technologies that allow us to scale insect production to industrial levels and use plant by-products to create high-quality animal feed ingredients, ”Doherty told Animal’s Health .
Doherty has explained to the aforementioned veterinary information medium that most of the pet food manufactured in the United Kingdom uses cuts and offal of meat for human consumption that are less in demand there. His idea is to use these cuts for export and use more sustainable sources, such as insects, in the manufacture of pet food. In addition, according to the president of the British veterinarians: ” Insect-based products are tasty, nutritious and bioavailable .” However, Doherty affirms that even if the use of insect protein in pet food increased, the main protein used would continue to be the usual animal (turkey, chicken, lamb …).
In keeping with the idea of sustainability, in January of this year the company Yora launched into the Anglo-Saxon market a feed for dogs made from 40% protein from the larvae of black soldier flies (Hermetia illucens). It is not the only pet feeding company that has dared to take the step, since Insectdog, Entomapetfood, Chippin or Wilderharrier have done the same, but it does contain the highest percentage of insects.
And what is the insect feed like? Are dehydrated insects thrown directly into the feeder? Do they come as a sprinkle with other croquettes? To make this sustainable feed , the larvae are dried and ground . As a result of the grinding, a flour is obtained that is mixed with oats, beets, potatoes, parsley and seaweed until a dry food is obtained, similar to the usual croquettes. The company is working on the creation of a wet food also with insects that it intends to put on sale at the end of 2019.
Making food with insects or their flour is not new. In 2018 a famous French distribution chain included in its range of products for human consumption dehydrated worms and crickets as well as bars of insect flour with chocolate.
Insects contain a high percentage of protein and healthy fats . They are also rich in calcium, iron, and zinc. Although many Westerners are quite reluctant to put a bug in their mouths, insects are widely consumed in Asia and Latin America.
The consumption of insects is endorsed by sustainability experts who point out that insects are a relatively sustainable food source that would help eradicate hunger in the world and reduce the environmental damage of producing meat.
In conclusion, food made with insects, in addition to being healthy for dogs (due to all the nutrients they contain and their easy digestion), is healthy for the planet.
And you, are you ready for the change?
