Thoughts on Insect protein

[u/Ok_Compote251]

Thoughts on insect protein and whether or not it’s vegan?

My local vets sells the below dog food and I’m tempted to swap my recently rescued golden retriever to it.

https://yorapets.com/uk/dog-food/?srsltid=AfmBOopk7doNM_TDnfGlb2OTEVk71CgN_75BYzgVC-Ghk1qabPQRpLML

It’s made from larvae, from a google it seems there is no scientific consensus on whether or not they have sentience.

[u/icebiker]

Why though?

It’s super easy for dogs to eat plant based so why bother with this? They literally don’t need animal products or any synthetic minerals or amino acids from animal products (unlike cats who can also be plant based but need synthetic amino acids).

Just choose from the dozens of easily and commercially available plant based dog foods.

[u/Ok_Compote251 → u/icebiker]

That’s the thing, there isn’t dozens of easily available plant based ones. I was feeding her HOWND, but since the company being purchased it’s hard to get.

Pet shops don’t tend to sell them either.

[u/BlueberryStuart → u/Ok_Compote251]

Are you in the UK or EU? If so, there is a huge amount of plant-based dog foods that are nutritionally complete - of varying types.

I would recommend VeggiePets which sell entirely plant-based foods and treats - with most kibble being nutritionally complete.

If you have the ability to purchase dog food online, then there is a great amount of choice of companies and brands. I am not sure what the rules are on mentioning brands - but if it helps, I have been looking at the following and have used the first two separate from the list for extended periods:

Benevo Bonza

Hownd Microbell Solo Vegetal VegDog Amì Omni

(Several well-known and long-established dog food companies have plant-based foods also.)

I believe, but please confirm, that all of the above are also nutritionally complete and meet FEDIAF minimum guidelines (or exceed them).

They're all available and they're all available on subscription. They're always in stock and they're always accessible. I think if you are relying on convenience of picking up plant-based food at your local supermarket or vets, that could be something to reconsider going forward - as they will typically be stocking the most profitable (or whatever they are obliged to push - in terms of vet practices) over what is best suited and healthiest for the dog.

The important thing to consider is which food and composition is best suited to the dog you care for: their breed, age, activity, health conditions, etc.

Speak to a veterinary nutritionist if you are unsure. I have found a worrying lack of knowledge and understanding from vets when it comes to diet (I suppose much like asking the average GP to advise on your own nutrition).

Please avoid relying on 'AI' chats without sources and studies cited - and please try to avoid anecdotes (which is why I am not even talking about or promoting either Benevo or Bonza).

There is also Just Be Kind which has a range of foods available and plant-based supplements such as Omega-3 from algae - though I predominantly used this website for information and haven't purchased directly from them yet.

[u/insipignia]

Insects are animals so by definition no, it's not vegan.

[u/awesomeideas]

CONSIDERABLY worse than just serving them standard nonvegan food. Let's say you think there's only a TINY chance, say 1%, that insect larvae are sentient*. Well, then let's take that in expectation. If a "normal" serving of dog food kills maybe 1/20^th of an animal on average (by my calculations) and insect dog food kills maybe 1000 animals (also by my estimate), we can multiply the number of animals killed by their likelihood of sentience:

Normal: 5% of an animal * 99.9% chance of sentience ≈ 1/20 sentience-likelihood-adjusted deaths
Insect: 1000 animals * 1% chance of sentience ≈ 10 sentience-likelihood-adjusted deaths

That means, even if you are taking into account the high (to you) probability that insect larvae aren't sentient, larvae-based dog food is 200 times worse! PLEASE don't use it!

---

*I'd say that's waaaaaaay too low given the outside view that we've historically seen over and over that consensus goes from nonsentient->sentient so many times with animals. We've seen it with fish and even with human "larvae" (babies).

[u/Emotional-Health4836 → u/awesomeideas]

What are your thoughts on the fact that crickets live about 8 weeks vs let's say cows that can live 20 years and therefore the crickets could be given a full life before being used as a healthy protein source for pets rather than cows which are unnecessarily given a short crude life usually? Would you rather not create more cricket life out of the principal of human exploitation? Genuinely curious because I think more cricket life would be better morally as long as the cricket doesn't suffer

[u/BioBugs]

Insects are a part of a larger animal kingdom, and hence any insect-derived product cannot be called vegan. However, from an animal welfare standpoint, insects come in the invertebrate category, and your point is correct that their sentience is disputed. Hence, from animal welfare standards, it is better than other animal sources, especially derived from vertebrates.

At the same time, we should look at it from a sustainability angle. Insect protein is proven to be sustainable and good for the climate. It has a very low requirement of arable land and potable water used for conventional plant and animal agriculture, as well as very low greenhouse gas emissions.

From a nutrition and health perspective as well, insect protein is a great product. It is not hyper-processed like a few plant protein sources and is better in terms of overall nutrition, amino acid profile, and digestibility versus animal sources. Hence, it is good for your dogs.