Bug-based pet protein now available from Purina

I’m thinking this will be all natural, farm raised and organic bugs?

1 Like

Oh, man. You have identified a can of . . . larva.

You gotta know there’s going to be all sorts of certifications and faked certifications of bug sourcing.

The larva food source could be incredibly gross stuff. Like, hog waste sprayed on agricultural stubble and leaves. Does that matter if the end product is a white powder?

1 Like

https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/34aca68f-6d5a-433d-9440-c19059f29076 (The ‘Not Ideal’ scene from Fleabag.)
Freakin’ phosphorescent pig-draggin’ cats. Drivin’ progress like obligate bug-based carnivorism.

2 Likes

Meh.
You are already eating bugs, whether you know it or not:

There is a high-end Mexican reataurant in Houston (Hugo’s) that has crickets on the menu as an appetizer. Apparently they are commonly offered for sale in markets in Mexico.
Unfortunately, the one time I went there, they were out of crickets. I fully intended to order a side of the things, well, just because

2 Likes

The crickets at Hugo’s are quite tasty. Recommend them

2 Likes

TIL I can keep protein as a pet

1 Like

3 Likes

Oh, I wanted to try them (“Hey, Sis! Watch me eat this bug! Mmmmm! Here, have one!”); they must be good, because they were sold out… so, what do they taste like?

1 Like

Land shrimp!

3 Likes

I know, right. It’s like they already got a head start on this stuff.

2 Likes

Maybe they could have some crickets on their commercials, so pet owners can watch them play music with their legs while the pet eats. Dinner and a show!

2 Likes

Because so many other uses for pig products compete.

Big cats do that. Small cats would, if they could.

“Our” (still only semi-domesticated) cats aren’t that far removed from their wild ancestors/relatives genetically and retain many of the hunting, sensory and digestive traits of them. Like the ability to hunt in low-light conditions and to metabolize high-protein, high-fat diets.

Some ~10,000 years of living alongside humans for cats vs some ~30,000 to ~50,000 years for dogs. (Humans turning into farmers, raising crops.)
Maybe ~200 years of intense selection pressure on cats by humans in order to breed for “cute” or whatever.

I guess the worry here is whether lax regulations could make bug farming another point where industrial toxins and pesticides will enter the human food chain.

Considering pets like to eat bugs already, I see no issue.

1 Like

Honestly, I’m a vet, not a human Dr. so I have no idea.

My thought process was that people with “shellfish” allergies seem to be allergic to a wide variety of aquatic arthropods (shrimp, lobsters, etc…). If this extends to cricket proteins as others have theorized, perhaps there are some phylum wide proteins to be allergic to.

Honestly don’t know though. Any human docs or allergists that can chime in on this one?

I’m not a doctor or allergist, just a random internet user, but I do have some food sensitivities so I tend to notice info about allergies/sensitivities when I’m reading. I recall reading that it’s common (among people who are allergic to shellfish) to be allergic to one type but not the others—e.g., allergic to crabs but not shrimp, or to shrimp but not lobsters. And apparently some people can be allergic to some but not all of a thing—e.g., allergic to just one kind of shrimp, but not to all the other kinds of shrimp.

Also I recall reading that shrimp is the shellfish that people are most commonly allergic to. (Which leads me to wonder: is that worldwide, or just in the U.S.? Because it seems to me that shrimp is more commonly eaten in the U.S. than, say, crab or lobster—which presumably would have some effect on the numbers of people reporting reactions…)

I could be wrong, and I have no citations—just reporting what I recall reading somewhere, who knows where. Further research is warranted!

This topic was automatically closed after 5 days. New replies are no longer allowed.