Pet food made from insects helps us creepy-crawl to a cleaner planet

Sunshine and puppies - the perfect way for any animal lover to start the day, and that's the scene with morning playtime at the Rivas Vaciamadrid animal protection centre, just 25 minutes from downtown Madrid.

‌Two pups are up for adoption and ready to brighten up someone's life. But while pets are part of the family for millions of people, the truth about cats and dogs is a little uncomfortable. The fact is, their carbon pawprint is getting bigger and bigger. 

‌There are now more pets than children in Spain, and their population is rising fast in other countries around the world. The problem is their predominantly meat-based food, which is responsible for as much as 160 million tonnes of carbon emissions per year, according to Sciencedirect.com.

‌Pet owners pricked their ears when Luxaviation CEO Patrick Hansen compared their furry friends with the private jet industry. The Financial Times quoted Hansen as saying that one of his customers was responsible for just over two tons of carbon emissions each year - roughly the same as three pet dogs. 

‌Science Direct calculated that if pet food were a country it would be the 60th worst polluter worldwide, with total emissions equal to Mozambique or the Philippines. The researchers behind that study didn't mince their words, saying "pet food demand should be included in the broader global debate about food system sustainability.” 

Insect pet food: Lower emissions, less pollution

‌Italian entrepreneur Gianpaolo Pugliese is working on a solution: pet food made from insects. His Madrid-based company produces bug-based pet food that's full of protein. He reckons it's a genuine alternative to farmed animal feed.

‌"During Covid I had time to think about my contribution to society," says Pugliese. "I had a conversation with one of my best friends, who's an insect expert. And that's where it all started."

‌Pugliese learnt all there was to know about the black soda fly. Then he got to work. "I discovered the opportunity we have to reduce the footprint of pet food production, and so I decided to found this company."

‌Ginqo has been around for 12 months now, and the dogs and cats at the Rivas Vaciamadrid centre happily scoff its products on a daily basis. One of the people involved in the project is Cesar Sastre, a vet and pet food expert.

‌"The key is trying to get a protein that's easy to produce without too much impact," Sastre tells CGTN. "If you use beef for instance, you are using a lot of land and resources. The production of little insects can be done in a small building. The amount of food and water you need is very little compared to beef. So the reduction in greenhouse gases is noticeable. When you're feeding pets with these insects, you're helping the planet."

‌Sastre may be on to something. A study by theecologist.org compared insect-based farming with more traditional cattle farming. The figures suggests that insect-based pet food needs just two percent of the land, and four percent of the water to produce each kilogram of protein. 

So what's stopping the insect revolution?‌ Attitudes, norms and the business models that have shaped the industry for decades. The Pet Food Processing  site reports that the sector is worth around $100-billion each year.  Animal protein brands dominate the market and generate big profits for the top dogs in the sector. 

That means consumers may have to lead a shift to alternative products like insect-based food. People will have to get over the 'ick' factor before they feed bugs to their cuddly companions.  But based on the reaction of our friends at Rivas Vaciamadrid, it doesn't bug the pets one bit. 

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