Would you feed your cat insects? Well, that’s the hope of big food companies Mars and Futerra which have teamed up to launch a dry food product called Lovebug that they claim is inherently more environmentally friendly than feeding your moggy meat.
Instead of the traditional meat or fish element of cat food, most of the protein in the food comes from the Black Soldier Fly Larvae, which is then blended with soy protein, maize, wheat and beet pulp fibre.
The companies claim that compared to beef farming insects takes around 80% less land space per kilogram of protein produced and has significant environmental benefits especially around greenhouse gas emissions
Even the bugs are ‘green’ and use 100% surplus and wasted food and farmed at a facility powered by 100% renewable electricity. The food also comes in a plastic-free, recyclable bag.
The product will arrive in the spring in the UK with an RRP of £12.99 for a kilogram bag.
“I love my cat and I love the planet, but I couldn’t find an environmentally conscious, super healthy and plastic-free cat food in the UK,” Futerra co-founder Solitaire Townsend said, explaining the rationale behind the product development.
“There are so many sustainable and healthy choices for people, why not cats?”
Eating insects is popular in Asia though hasn’t really captured the imagination of consumer in the western world. The global edible insect market is widely predicted to exceed $520m (£406m) by 2023, as more products launch in markets like Europe and the US.
There are other insect-based cat food brands like Tomojo, while PETA has a list of vegan pet food options here.
