The past year has seen a jump in consumer interest in insect-based pet foods. In case you think pet food is frivolous, let me remind you that the pet food production alone generates $27 billion in annual revenue. This is serious business.
Also, we love our dogs as much (or more) than our human companions. So, what we feed them matters.
Although pet owners should be aware of possible concerns, the insect food trend appears to be accelerating.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) reports that more than
1,900 species of insects are edible. Just this year, the FDA approved the use of fly larvae for pet food in the US.
Once a niche project by startups like Yora Pet Foods in Europe and Jiminy’s in the US, bug-based foods have gone mainstream.
Major companies like Purina and Mars have started selling insect-based pet food.
About 20% of meat and fish consumed globally goes to feed pets. Replacing some livestock production with insect production could have the following environmental benefits:
Some scientists warn that we don’t know enough yet about farming insects to be sure that bug-based pet food is a good idea.
Global insect protein production is predicted to grow from 10,000 metric tons to 250,000 metric tons in 10 years.
Some things limiting the growth of the insect protein market:
Ever heard of a house cricket ranch? You just might if this trend continues!
It will be interesting to see how this all plays out. In the meantime, would you feed your dog insect-based food? Get in touch with us on LinkedIn or Tweet us. We’re always happy to talk!
—parin
Managing Partner
Photo by Karsten Winegeart on Unsplash
With over two decades of experience, Parin leads an expert demand-generation agency, StratMg, that helps industrial manufacturing clients achieve unambiguous and quantified organic sales growth across the US, EMEA & APAC.
Parin has built & positioned StratMg to be a value-added marketing services provider that strives to create a culture of quantified sales-driven marketing initiatives leading to sustained business growth through channel management, diversification, new customer acquisition and retention strategies and tactical execution.
