In this episode of The Consult Room, I’m joined by Ross Lamond, founder of Bug Bakes, to explore one of the more unusual developments in modern pet nutrition: insect-based dog food.
Ross’s story is anything but conventional. After studying law, he began hand-making insect-based dog treats with his mum in the family kitchen. What started as a one-year experiment eventually took him to Dragons’ Den and helped build one of the UK’s best-known insect-based dog food brands.
But this episode goes much further than the Bug Bakes story.
Ross and I explore the science behind insect protein, how it compares with more conventional animal proteins, and why its potential as a novel protein has attracted interest for dogs with food sensitivities. We also look at how dog food is processed, the arguments around cold-pressed food, and some of the environmental questions surrounding what we put in our dogs’ bowls.
Because once you get past the initial “yuck factor”, insects raise some genuinely interesting questions about how we might feed our dogs in the future.
In This Episode
How Bug Bakes went from Ross’s mum’s kitchen to Dragons’ Den
Why Ross chose insects as an alternative protein source
How insect protein compares with traditional animal proteins
Why novel proteins are interesting for dogs with food sensitivities
What cold-pressed dog food actually means
Processing, ingredients and pet food marketing
The environmental case for insect farming
Why insect-based dog food remains relatively expensive
What Ross would change about pet food labelling and transparency
Key Takeaways
Insect protein is a complete animal protein, despite many people assuming otherwise
Its novelty may make it useful as a protein option for some dogs with food sensitivities
How dog food is manufactured is more complicated than simply labelling one process “good” and another “bad”
Insect farming offers some potentially significant sustainability advantages
Cost and scale remain major barriers to wider adoption
Better transparency could make it easier for owners to understand what they are actually buying
🎙️ Could insects really become a mainstream part of what we feed our dogs? This conversation might make you look at your dog’s bowl a little differently.
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