Low Carbon Footprint Dog Food: Wave of the Future?

Given that the human race’s meat consumption forms a significant chunk of humanity’s carbon footprint would a low-carbon footprint dog food made from flies offer a viable solution?

By: Ringo Bones

As far back as 2007, scientists have calculated that if Americans reduced their meat consumption by just 10-percent, the resulting net reduction in carbon footprint was estimated to be as much as taking 20-million cars off America’s roads. Given the result, would eating food that results in a lesser carbon footprint to produce – i.e. eating insects – be better for the environment?

Believe it or not, a startup company in the UK has started selling dog food made from insects back in January 10, 2019 in what is expected to be another step towards reducing humanity’s carbon footprint. Yora – named after an Amazon tribe – is based in Brighton on the southern coast of England. The startup company has started sales of a dry kibble, as in ground meal shaped into pellets that most of us are familiar with – for pet food created from the larvae of the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) combined with UK-grown oats, potatoes and herbs. The flies’ larvae are reared by a protein nutrient company Protix in Eindhoven in the Netherlands. The kibble is available at £14.99 per pack. The company says it hopes to launch a “wet” version of their dog food later in the year.

Even though they’ve been around for almost forever, as of late, insect-based food, for both humans and animals, has been catching on in the UK. In November 2018, Salisbury’s – the second largest chain of supermarkets in the country – became the first major UK grocer to sell barbecued crickets as snacks. Environmental experts have for long recommended insects as an alternative and sustainable food source that could help end global hunger and reduce the damaging effects of meat production. And according to The Holy Bible’s Book of Leviticus, locusts are Kosher so religious restrictions of consuming insects are not quite taboo. Insects also contain proteins, fats, minerals and amino acids. Forty percent of the protein content by weight in Yora’s kibble, for instance, comes from black soldier fly larvae. At least 1,000 insect species are eaten globally, most of them in developing nations.

The manufacturers of Yora’s kibble hope that their product is a small step in reducing the global carbon footprint. Our pets currently consume around 20-percent of the meat and fish worldwide and pet food is estimated to be responsible for a quarter of the environmental impacts of meat production. Given that most dogs and cats I’ve owned so far have eaten almost anything – i.e. from geckoes and praying mantises frequenting our designated pet walkways in our local parks – Yora’s fly larvae kibble would probably tastes as natural to the dogs and cats currently in my care.