Purina Pet Food Line Made With Insects: Would Your Dog Or Cat Eat It?

Nestle (NSRGY) is rolling out a new pet food alternative that makes use of insects and plant proteins found in fava beans and millets.

While the new Purina Beyond Nature's Protein line is meant to build on plant resources and will only be sold in Switzerland at launch, the dog and cat pet food alternative begs the questions if consumers will buy it and if their pets will actually eat it.

The idea of eating insects may repulse many in Western countries, but the protein is considered a delicacy in many parts of the world and has been eaten for decades.

Julie Lesnik, an assistant professor of anthropology at Wayne State University in Detroit, told the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette in a web seminar called “Fit to Eat? Algae, Insects and Cultured Meat” that the Western world has an aversion to eating bugs that is cultural. She said that people in the world have been eating insects for millennia.

Countries such as Mexico, Brazil, Thailand, and China integrate insects in traditional dishes and meals, including the use of ants, worms, and larvae.

For these countries, eating insects provides a good source of protein, which may reach a critical point by 2050 as experts predict the population will increase to 10 billion, and livestock production will be unable to meet demand, Yahoo News reported.

Compounding the issue is the environmental impact that livestock farming has on the world, using vast amounts of water, contributing greenhouse gases, and causing deforestation.

Finding an alternative protein source that uses a plant-based process has been increasing in intensity not only for humans but also for pets. This has caused Nestle to deliver two Purina mixes — a chicken, pig’s liver, and millet pet food and an insect protein, chicken, and fava bean pet food — for both dogs and cats.

Nestle said the insect protein is derived from black soldier fly larvae, which is already used in many animal feeds in Europe, while the millet and fava bean mix helps to aid digestion while providing protein and energy for animals.

The pet food has also been blended to deliver all essential amino acids that dogs and cats require as well as to appeal to their taste palettes.

“Every ingredient in our food serves a purpose,” Bernard Meunier, Nestle Purina Petcare EMENA CEO, said in a statement. “With our new Beyond Nature's Protein dry pet food, we are offering a complete nutritious alternative to conventional dog and cat products, while taking care of the planet's precious resources by diversifying the protein sources.

“We're constantly looking at ways in which we can source sustainably for the longer-term while still delivering the high-quality nutrition that pets need today and tomorrow,” he added.

Nestle is not the only producer that uses insects in its dog and cat mixes as Yora and Green Petfood’s InsectDog also sell insect-incorporated pet food.

Shares of Nestle were trading at $118.00 as of 2:37 p.m. ET, down 48 cents, or 0.41%.