In this pet kibble, bugs are a feature

Could insect meal and lab-grown meat be a more sustainable, ethical way to feed our cats and dogs?

- EMILY ANTHES

IN AN IDEAL world, Watson would have approached the treats cautiously, with a careful sniff and tentative lick. But, being a dog — with a voracious appetite and no discernible appreciation for narrative tension — he devoured them immediately. He didn't know, or care, that they were chock-full of dried crickets and ground-up grubs.

And so what I had envisioned as a climactic taste test was over in seconds, with what was, in retrospect, an utterly predictable result: my dog would happily eat insects.

For years, some enterprising food entrepreneurs have been trying to convince people to do the same. As the global demand for protein grows, insects, they say, provide a more sustainable, ethical alternative to traditional meat. But the idea has been a tough sell. Although insects are a dietary staple in some cultures, for many people, they trigger a visceral disgust response.