asking for thoughts on dog food.

[hlthe2b]

42. SheltieLover, there is actually a very goood reason it contains dried black soldier fly larvae...

The latter is a novel protein source that dogs will not have had contact with in food prior so it makes for a likely tolerated protein source for those with severe food allergies. Highly sustainable too--a positive with all the issues around beef, lamb, poultry production, and climate change--as well as all the controversies around the feeding of steroids and antibiotics in animal production. Granted, the very idea of "dried black soldier fly larvae" is pretty repulsive. But, the alternate "novel" proteins used previously--like ostrich and other exotic animals is clearly not sustainable, not to mention ungodly expensive. Ditto the future in lab-produced proteins and meat, which can offer potential benefits but at untold cost for the indefinite future.

Expect to see this source, like mealworms and other insects used in other foods for a variety of birds, mammals, and yes, humans, in the coming decades as conventional food production methods face untold stresses. Not as a contaminant, but a very desirable broad-spectrum protein source that likewise provides pre- and probiotic benefits. But, for specialty dietary dog and cat foods, the current use--to reduce dietary allergens-- is not a cost-saving measure for Hill's Science diets, but rather a means of addressing a serious health problem in some animals.