Cricket-Based Dog Foods

Insects, including crickets and grubs, have long been consumed by cultures across the globe and Jiminys is making the "natural" diet more accessible to pet owners and their furry friends. Made from crickets, which are high in fats, protein, and other essential nutrients, the dog food is substantially more sustainable than traditional beef-based dog food options. Switching to Jiminys insect-based pet food could save almost 400,000 gallons of water annually and the equivalent emissions of driving over 500 miles.

Marketing the cricket-based dog food to owners, however, took some thought. Anne Carlson, the founder and CEO of Jiminy’s, says: “Because our protein source is unusual, we wanted to make it easy for people to recognize, ‘oh, it looks like a normal treat, the food looks like normal food, it smells good to me, I’m not afraid of this. While the end consumer is the dog, you’ve got to get the human to actually buy it for them.”

Currently, pet owners can buy Jiminys online and in various retailers across the country with prices starting at $16.95. While this is more expensive than traditional dog foods (because meat alternatives aren't subsided by the government), Carlson anticipates that the industry will soon get more efficient and prices will decrease.

Image Credit: Jiminys