Would you feed your pet bugs? What about lab-grown meat? How about a vegan diet? From insect protein to cultivated meats and beyond, we’re exploring the landscape of alternative protein sources poised to transform the way we feed our pets, and even ourselves. In this episode, the second installment of our Trends to Watch in 2025 mini-series, we address cultural barriers like the "ick factor" surrounding insect protein and delve into cutting-edge technologies like lab-grown meat and bacteria that eat methane to become fermented proteins.

Helpful Links

Insect-Based Pet Food: Navigating Challenges and Opportunities in Product Development: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/insect-based-pet-food-navigating-challenges-opportunities-xqkgc/

Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) as an Alternative Pet Food Protein: https://bsmpartners.net/insights/black-soldier-fly-larvae-as-an-alternative-protein-source-in-pet-diets/

Learn more about Bond Pet Foods’ precision fermentation process: https://www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/17131-food-is-science-and-science-is-food-at-bond-pet-foods

From Meat to Microbes: Eco-Conscious Evolution of Pet Food Proteins: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/from-meat-microbes-eco-conscious-evolution-pet-food-proteins-x0yyc/

Cultured Meat in Pet Food: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/cultured-meat-pet-food-bsm-partners-v7wrc/

Plant-Based Proteins for Pets: https://bsmpartners.net/insights/plant-based-proteins-for-pets/

Could invasive marine species pose another alternative protein opportunity for pets? https://bsmpartners.net/insights/riding-the-wave-how-alternative-marine-proteins-are-revolutionizing-pet-food/

Riding the Wave: How Alternative Marine Proteins Are Revolutionizing Pet Food: https://bsmpartners.net/insights/riding-the-wave-how-alternative-marine-proteins-are-revolutionizing-pet-food/

Show Notes

00:00 – Welcome Back!

02:24 – Will Insect Protein Fly or Fail in the US Market?

06:23 – Getting Educated on Cultured Proteins

08:02 – What Are Cultivated Meats?

11:35 – What Is Precision Fermentation?

13:41 – Methane-Eating Bacteria and Custom Capabilities

16:53 – What About Plant-Based Proteins and Invasive Species?

17:48 – The Big Picture of Sustainability

18:57 – Final Thoughts