Two cats eat kibble. MATHIEU THOMASSET / HANS LUCAS VIA AFP
Eating insects is probably not your thing, but your pet will see nothing in it. So by decarbonizing your bowl, your diet will be less harmful to the planet.
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For years, we have been told that we will soon have to eat insects. For our good and that of the planet. An upheaval that our moderate appetite for this form of protein, our cooking recipes and our culinary habits do not really facilitate. The great protein mutation should therefore first pass through our four-legged friends, who are also major polluters, very dangerous for the planet: 20% of global meat and fish consumption is due to the feeding of livestock. company. The carbon footprint of their diet is enormous: count one to 6 tonnes of CO2 per year according to studies!
It's difficult to turn a blind eye when we know that more than half of the world's population owns a pet and that the number of cats continues to increase… In France, nearly 60% of French people say they own a dog or a cat in 2023 according to Ipsos, or 13% more than in 2021. “Young people are more and more urban, they live in small apartments, have children later or don't want them, and transfer their affection to a cat”observes a market expert.
So how can we decarbonize our little companion’s bowl? Should we make it vegetarian? Or a flexitarian, like us? Especially not ! insist the veterinarians. Their digestive system is adapted to animal proteins and nothing else. A headache for – among others – the giants of what we call “petfood” – Nestlé, Mars, Unilever… – who have all made commitments to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 but do not intend to you might as well sit on this cash machine that is the dog and cat food market. “With coffee, chocolate and hygiene products, these are the mass consumption segments which are experiencing the strongest growth, the best margin rates and which are the most resilient in crises”, observes Antoine Hubert, co-founder of the industrial start-up Ynsect. To decarbonize food bowls, he has been pleading for almost a decade for another solution: insects.
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Its specialty is mealworms, a concentrate of protein (more than 70% when reduced to powder) which, mixed with plants, meets all the nutritional requirements of pet food. His company, created in 2011, intensively breeds mealworm larvae in its two factories, in Dole (39) and Amiens (80). The droppings of the critters are transformed into organic fertilizer and their larvae, into oil and flour. For their part, Innovafeed, which also has a giant production unit not far from Amiens, and Agronutris and its factory in Rethel in the Ardennes (08), are banking on the black soldier fly.
Fly kibble
These companies highlight a flattering environmental record. According to Ynsect, its protein preparation intended for animal food emits 0.80 kg of CO2 per kg of ingredient, 14 times less than the equivalent of beef and 26 times less than the equivalent of lamb. Insect production also claims to consume much less water… For the moment, insect food is made up of agricultural by-products – an increasingly coveted biomass. Worms and flies would happily settle for unsold pizzas from supermarkets (not containing too much meat) if the European Commission allowed it – something the Ifipp (International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed) is actively working on. the lobby of insect producers in Brussels.
Some privileged animals are already benefiting from this virtuous diet. But we can imagine that one day this will become the norm for our pets. “Insect-based fish feed is slowly taking off and human feed will not exceed 5% by 2030, whereas insect-based petfood was authorized longer ago and has reached commercial maturity”, explains Antoine Hubert. Ynsect took its first steps in this market by supplying confidential brands, distributed by veterinarians and online, such as Vibrac. Other brands like Tomojo or Ekinoe have given fly kibble credibility. “These small companies have proven themselves and today we are seeing a strong acceleration: everyone is focused on insect-based petfood. » Everyone, that is to say Mars and Nestlé mainly, who together represent 80% of the offer and have already launched products in the United Kingdom and Switzerland. Antoine Hubert details:
“They have done commercial tests in a country, consumer tests with panels of dogs and cats to measure their palatability for these products and the quality of digestion, and they are starting to launch. »
It remains to be produced in quantity. Currently, Europe produces 10,000 tonnes per year of insect-based meal intended for animal feed, nearly 90% of which is for cats and dogs. According to a Rabobank study, the sector could need 150,000 tonnes in 2030. “It’s a huge market, which could reach more than 13 billion euros in the coming years”, assures Christophe Derrien, secretary general of Ipiff. Ynsect has made it its primary source of income: mealworm petfood (a species of beetle insect) represents 75% of its turnover. And that's just the beginning. “ Everyone expects volume. For next year, we have already sold all our flour production and we are negotiating with a great customer for pâté.details Antoine Hubert. We have already signed $200 million in contracts for the next three years. » So, tomorrow, our cats will perhaps also start cackling like chickens…
