Insect food for dogs and cats?_GUIDE OF CAT_CAT FOOD_产品2

Insect food for dogs and cats?

Dog intolerance is a widespread and increasing problem. The trigger is often animal protein - in other words, the dog reacts to the meat contained in the feed. In addition, the raw material meat does not exactly reduce the CO2 paw print of the cat or dog, but damages our climate.

We have the solution to these challenges! With our InsectDog Hypoallergen and InsectDog Sensitive we help sensitive dogs or dogs with food intolerances. Cats can also look forward to a digestible meal thanks to our FairCat Safe with insect protein. At the same time, we would like to offer you and your four-legged friend food that protects the environment through the use of insects. We are aware that insects initially cause skepticism or even disgust in many of us. Why is that?

Eat insects? Isn't that a taboo?

For us humans in the western world, insects are primarily seen as "vermin". Few people are aware that there are many more useful insects than harmful ones. Bees provide us with delicious honey and wax, pollinate our plants, and many insects are used as biological pest control. But insects as food for humans or in the food bowl of our loyal four-legged companions? Most of them initially feel disgusted at the thought. Why do we generally feel disgusting? The feeling of disgust is an innate emotion. What we feel disgust with, on the other hand, is mainly influenced by our cultural background and the society in which we live. What is considered "disgusting" in western countries can be considered normal food in other parts of the world. According to the World Food Organization FAO, insects have traditionally been on the menu for two billion people worldwide. It is estimated that more than 1,900 different insect species are used as food by humans. Many species of insects are considered to be true "delicacies".

Driving sustainable protein sources of the future

There are more and more people in Europe who deal with this protein supplier in human nutrition. On the one hand, this is due to the fact that the environmental problems caused by conventional livestock farming are becoming increasingly visible. On the other hand, the fear of global food shortages is driving the search for alternative protein sources such as insects.

There are many more reasons why we should open ourselves to insects as food and feed for our four-legged friends.

Insects are good for the climate

The production of conventional meat damages the environment considerably. The use of insects in our dog and cat food can make a major contribution to climate protection, since production is significantly more environmentally friendly. Let's look at this in detail.

Raising insects means fewer greenhouse gases

A large part of the global emissions of greenhouse gases is due to the production of animal food and feed. The production of 1 kg of beef protein causes up to 175 kg of greenhouse gases. The production of 1 kg of insect protein is a low 14 kg. The breeding of insects is much more environmentally friendly than that of pigs or poultry.

Soil pollution is much lower in insect breeding

The excretion of cattle, pigs and other “farm animals” releases ammonia (NH3). This has a negative impact on climate change and pollutes the soil and water. Compared to rearing pigs, there is a significantly lower release of ammonia when rearing insects. Pigs produce 1140 milligrams of NH3 per kg of body weight, insects only 1 milligrams of NH3.

Insects get by with little water

Access to water will become more difficult in the future. Welthungerhilfe estimates that around 20 billion people will be short of water in 2025. The production of meat makes a significant contribution to this. The 'water footprint' of 1 kg of beef is approximately 15,000 liters of water, that of 1 kg of insects, for example, is only 4,000 liters. Rearing crawling animals requires much less water than cattle because insects are much more resistant to water shortages. Insects naturally drink little, but also lose little water through the skin and respiratory tract.

It takes much less space to raise insects

The production of meat or other animal food requires a large part of the agricultural area usable worldwide. Ten times the amount of land is needed to produce 1 kilogram of beef protein than for the production of 1 kg of insect protein.

Insects are much more frugal to feed than conventional farm animals

With over nine billion people and billions of animals to feed over 20 billion in 2030, food shortages are an important issue. Insects are cold-blooded animals and have a much more efficient feed conversion rate than conventional farm animals. On average, insects can convert 2 kg of food into 1 kg of insect mass. Cattle, on the other hand, need 8 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of body mass. Insects are very frugal and can also feed on foods rich in crude fiber that humans could not use efficiently.

Benefits of insect food for dogs and cats

Insects protect our environment and are also good for the nutrition of our four-legged friends. They not only supply high-quality proteins, but also valuable fatty acids and minerals. With a biological value of around 85%, they are very digestible and also rich in copper, iron, B vitamins, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc. They are raised under strictly hygienic conditions and do not use antibiotics.

Dog and cat food with insect protein is just as good as food with conventional meat. Our four-legged friends need essential amino acids, which they do not produce on their own, but can only receive through food. These are found, among other things, in very good quality insects. The animal's digestive system doesn't care where the amino acids come from. The main thing is that they are available in sufficient quantities.

Insect food for dogs and cats is in no way inferior to conventional food in terms of shape, color, consistency, smell or taste and is equally digestible. All our types of feed have an excellent acceptance among the four-legged friends. And don't worry: You won't find whole insects, antennae or chitin shells in our InsectDog or FairCat. Before being pupated, they are processed, dried and made into a flour.

Use of insects as a solution for allergy dogs

Insects are the ideal basis for hypoallergenic food, as they are a rarely used protein source in dog food. A clinical study by the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich found that the grain-free formula of our InsectDog hypoallergen is an ideal solution for dogs with intolerances. For this, dogs were given atopic dermatitis as a result ofdiagnostizierten .

Feed allergy suffered from our InsectDog hypoallergenic for 14 days. 80% of the dogs showed improvements in their skin lesions, over half of the four-legged friends finally said goodbye to itching and even 40% of the dogs showed improved coat quality after the two weeks. InsectDog Hypoallergen was also a complete success in terms of acceptance and tolerance.

Suitable for sensitive dogs and cats: insect protein

With its grain-free recipe based on potatoes and peas, our InsectDog Hypoallergen can be the solution for dogs with intolerances. But insects are not only a real blessing for allergy sufferers. All food-sensitive four-legged friends are in good hands with food with insect protein. Our InsectDog Sensitive with rice and insect protein can bring a little rest into your dog's digestive tract thanks to its carefully processed ingredients. The equally gluten-free recipe from FairCat Safewith rice, animal welfare chicken and insect protein also makes the picky velvet paw shine. It does her tummy good and on top of that reduces her CO2 paw print.

What insects do we use?

We usually use mealworm larvae or black soldier fly larvae. We source our insect protein from small farms in Europe with which we work closely. This enables us to guarantee high quality in accordance with food standards and short transport routes. At the same time, we are promoting the development of an alternative to conventional meat that is interesting for human nutrition in Europe.

How are the insects kept?

The insects are raised in a complete cycle. The insect larvae are fed with food that remains in the local food industry or is no longer used. These are, for example, sections of canned fruit, but they are still hygienic. This product, previously declared as "waste", is thus used and transformed into fertile soil. The animals reproduce through natural reproduction.

Thanks to the protected environment, the larvae are raised under strict hygienic conditions without the use of medication or contact with pesticides. Most of all, they like it cozy and warm in a confined space. They grow up within a few days and are processed shortly before pupation. With the help of cold water, they fall into hibernation (hibernation) and are thus anesthetized. Then they are killed in a quick process with heat or cold and processed in full. The animals don't have to suffer long. Moisture and oils are then removed from the insect mass, leaving high-quality insect protein flour in the end. The breeding ground in which the insect larvae were raised can be applied to the field again as a high-quality fertilizer. This procedure creates almost no production waste and all resources can be used optimally.

You can find out more information about rearing our insects here.

All advantages of insects in dog and cat food at a glance:

Insects not only have many nutritional benefits for our four-legged friends, but also help to reduce their CO2 paw print.

Insects are a high quality ingredient in dog and cat food

First-class protein, which is very digestible

Woolly fatty acids support healthy skin and shiny fur

Rich in copper, iron, B vitamins, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zincPerfect for sensitive four-legged friends or dogs with food intolerances

The insects are raised completely without the use of antibiotics

More environmentally friendly than conventional meat raw materials

Less greenhouse gases

Low water consumption

Hardly any space required

Low soil pollution

Low feed consumption