In a world where we contend with so many complicated decisions on the regular, choosing a pet food seems simple enough. In theory, dogs should be satisfied with a few scoops of kibble. In practice, though, that simplicity poses a challenge: a bag of chow needs to be a one-stop shop, providing an animal with all its essential nutrients.
That’s not so easy to find. Many dogs have developed sensitivities to proteins commonly found in commercial foods, such as chicken and beef (scientists posit this may be due to factors including climate change and irresponsible breeding practices). In recent years, reports of toxins and salmonella contamination have plagued the pet food industry, leading to numerous recalls.
Then there is pet food’s rather expansive environmental footprint. One analysis found that raising livestock is responsible for 60 per cent of the greenhouse gas emissions generated by food production overall, and between 25 and 30 per cent of the meat produced in North America goes to feed animals.
That latter figure is what inspired Sofia Bonilla to solve the kibble conundrum.
With a Master’s degree in environmental science and a PhD in chemical engineering, Bonilla was interested in leveraging her background for real-world impact. After completing her studies at the University of Toronto in 2017, the Colombia-born scientist was doing post-doctoral research in the Netherlands when she became fascinated by the fundamental snag in how we produce pet food: to meet demand, we’re entirely reliant on animal farming and petroleum-based ingredients. As Bonilla puts it, “once you pull on that thread, everything else is connected: food safety risks, fragile global supply chains, and rising rates of allergies and intolerances in pets.”
Bonilla was convinced she could find answers in the lab. She landed on microalgae, yeasts, fungi and insects — alternatives that avoid the supply-chain challenges and environmental toll of animal proteins while meeting the nutritional needs of dogs. She launched her business (then called HOPE Pet Foods) in 2020; today, you can pick up ALT-PRO Advantage treats and chow in hundreds of stores across Canada.
Since Bonilla first began exploring these ideas, the market for sustainable pet options has picked up steam: earlier this year, ALT-PRO was selected to participate in the Next Generation Pet Food Program, a global accelerator designed to help entrepreneurs get their products onto shelves faster. Here, Bonilla talks about the surprising ingredients in many commercial kibbles, the canine nutrition myths that dog her, and the reasons she thinks insect proteins are pretty fly.
What’s an ingredient most people don’t know they’re feeding their pets?
Taurine, which is an essential amino acid for cats and some dogs — if it shows up as an ingredient, virtually all that taurine comes from a synthetic process that is derived from petroleum.
Traditionally, taurine comes from animals, right? Like, “toro” meaning bull?
Yes, exactly. But what’s on the market is all supplemented with synthetic taurine. Taurine is mainly obtained from China, so if we think about food security and geopolitical instability, having a source of these essential nutrients is pretty important. It’s one of the nutrients found in the microalgae ingredient we’re developing. Another is arachidonic acid, which is a fatty acid that’s also essential for cats and puppies — and for human babies, too; it’s found in infant formula.
Can you tell me a bit about the less traditional ingredients you’re working with, like microalgae and insects?
I was really excited about developing an ingredient that would be a natural, sustainable and scalable way to solve this problem. We’re still in the R&D phase with this red microalgae, but it has huge potential in pet food, and in other fields, too, like supplements and aquaculture feed.
We already have products on the market that use insect protein — it has equivalent nutritional value (to animal proteins) and is much more eco-friendly. And dogs love it, so it makes sense. It’s commercially available, and we know it’s a good swap. But we realized that there were nutrients that were going to be tough to replace if we removed all animal ingredients. I guess I was stubborn enough that I just couldn’t believe nature would have this essential nutrient and that it would only be found in chicken and beef. So I did some research and found a microalgae that’s a complete protein source and also provides those two nutrients.
Beyond the environmental benefits of sourcing ingredients that are lower on the food chain, why should pet owners opt for alternative proteins?
Many people tell me their dog has an allergy. If we remove all animal ingredients from pet food, we can address about 96 per cent of those allergies and sensitivities. Originally, the solution was to use kangaroo and alligator meat, but during COVID, supply-chain issues meant there were shortages. Finding novel sources, like insect or microalgae protein, solves an issue for both pets and the planet. Plus, recent salmonella outbreaks in pet food are related to poultry because of the way the animals are farmed, which doesn’t happen in insect farming.
We focus on offering both hypoallergenic protein and functionality. For example, our formula has a microalgae that provides DHA, which is an omega-3 that is science-proven to support healthy skin and coat.
How did you choose the insect protein you use in your products?
We looked at mealworms, crickets and black soldier flies, and we landed on the latter because it’s approved by the regulatory bodies for pet food in North America and Europe. When you think about insect protein, crickets are more common for humans. But there are reports that dogs like black soldier flies better, and there’s a lot of data about its safety and digestibility. The fly has antibacterial properties, too, so it reduces potential pathogen loads that would harm animals.
Your food is available at supermarkets rather than specialty pet stores. Why is that?
A lot of people don’t know this, but there’s exclusivity in those channels: if you sell in specialty pet stores, you can’t sell in grocery stores and vice-versa. We saw a big opportunity to elevate the quality and diversity of the pet food on offer. We know that about 30 per cent of pet parents are looking for new proteins; if you go to a grocery-store pet aisle, you’ll see mostly chicken or beef, and we are trying to balance that.
Are people resistant to prioritizing sustainability when it comes to feeding their pets?
Definitely. Meat has been repositioned as something that’s more premium, which is often what’s promoted: “This is white meat, not a byproduct.” It’s kind of approaching the issue with a human point of view — we don’t want to eat a byproduct — but it obviously creates a strain on prices and food supply for humans. When we started the company, we were promoting the environmental benefits of our products and we found that there was not a lot of interest in that.
People are concerned with nutrition first, and that’s what we’re trying to educate them about. Removing meat doesn’t mean there’s going to be a nutritional gap. A lot of people haven’t heard about insect protein for dogs, but they actually connect with the idea immediately: “This makes so much sense, my dog loves to eat flies!”
What are some pet food myths you’d like to see get debunked?
A lot of misconceptions come from human trends, like this obsession with protein — the higher it is, the better. There’s an amount that a human or dog can use, and whatever we don’t use is secreted in urine. Something I hear all the time is that insect protein is low quality and cheap. That’s just not true: it’s more expensive than the chicken or beef in pet food by almost an order of magnitude. Another myth I see circulating is this idea that dogs are wolves and that we should feed them as such. Dogs were domesticated so long ago, eating food scraps for many years, so they’re not wolves, and they’re also not humans. It’s just not fair to dogs — they’re better than humans, in my opinion.
Caitlin Stall-Paquet writes about technology for MaRS. Torstar, the parent company of the Toronto Star, has partnered with MaRS to highlight innovation in Canadian companies.
