Smaller ecological “pawprint”

By: Benedek László Date: 2023. 03. 30. 09:43

Recently the European Commission has given a green light to using crickets as a food ingredient.

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Guest writer:
László Benedek
commercial director
Agroloop Hungary

The European Union believes insects are an excellent alternative source of protein. As their instincts tell them the same thing, animals have been eating insects for millions of years. It is a lesser known fact that owing to the high quality of protein extracted from insects, they also represent a new source of energy for food sensitive cats and dogs. No wonder that larvae protein use is spreading fast in the premium pet food segment. One of the reasons for this is that there are quite a few over-bred dog and cat breeds. The digestive systems of these tend to be very sensitive, so if owners want to keep them healthy, they must give them special food – such as insect-based cat and dog food.

Pet food made with insect protein enhances the health and vitality of our cats and dogs

Insect protein is hypoallergenic, the quinine in larvae has anti-inflammatory effect, while larvae fat has high lauric acid content, which helps digestion. It is very important to note that insect-based pet food looks exactly the same as classic cat and dog food. Another benefit of pet food made with insect protein is that the ecological footprint of production is much smaller: larvae breeding requires 30 times less land and 40 times less water, and it generates 40 times smaller carbon emission than traditional livestock farming. //

This article is available for reading in Trade magazin 2023/4.