Should we feed insects to our pets?
Insect-based products are appearing more and more frequently on supermarket shelves, particularly in the area of pet food.
While the insect farming industry originally offered alternatives to meat for human consumption, it has shifted towards the production of animal feed and pet food, making grand promises regarding nutrition and sustainability.
But can insect-based pet food actually deliver on these promises?
The paw print of pet food is under scrutiny: the total greenhouse gas emissions from pet food production amount to 106 million tonnes of CO₂ equivalent. As Europeans express a growing interest in ecological sustainability, alternative pet food is a sought-after commodity. Insect-based pet food is often presented as a more environmentally friendly and sustainable alternative.
However, it has been found that insect ingredients for pet food have a higher environmental impact (up to 15.1 kg CO₂-eq/kg) than most ingredients used in conventional pet food, including animal by-products.
This is due to the fact that the production of insect proteins is resource-intensive, requiring high levels of energy, water, and land use.
Nutritious and versatile?
Insect-based pet food is promoted as healthy and nutritious and is frequently described as hypoallergenic, although the opposite has been demonstrated. A 2021 study found, for instance, that “dogs allergic to mites may clinically show cross-reactivity with mealworm proteins.” Furthermore, research has shown that the allergenicity of insect proteins is not eliminated by heat treatments, raising the question of whether such products are suitable for pets with existing allergies or sensitivities.
Pet food based on insects is often advertised with a high protein content, which misleads consumers and overestimates the price per gram of protein. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has also found that the protein content of insect products is overstated by approximately 20%. These findings suggest that a stricter evaluation of nutritional claims for insect-based pet food is necessary.
As a rule, no farm or wild animals are slaughtered for pet food. Pet food in supermarkets generally consists entirely of by-products that are not suitable for sale to humans. In most cases, animal by-products account for only a small percentage (under 5%), with the remainder being plant-based by-products, sugar, grains, minerals, and so on, states Carl Sonnthal of IG Wild beim Wild.
Breeding thousands of insects to feed a pet
Since insects used in the production of pet food often weigh no more than a few grams, thousands, if not tens of thousands, of insects may need to be bred for a single bag of insect-based feed. Insect farming is therefore one of the most animal-intensive industries, in which trillions of insects are already being raised without any animal welfare protections.
This is cause for concern, as there is growing evidence that insects are sentient beings — meaning these animals can experience pain and have needs. While the environmental impact of pet food and the health of our pets are of great importance, so too is the welfare of the animals bred for pet food production. This aspect cannot be guaranteed in mass insect farming.
Policymakers should critically evaluate insect-based feed before promoting it as a sustainable alternative. Independent studies and life cycle analyses are needed to ensure that the problems of factory farming are not repeated or perpetuated. Clear labelling and transparency in marketing are essential to prevent misleading sustainability claims.
