Consumer response to insects as pet food

Abstract The current insect industries sell a considerable part of their production as ingredients for pet food. Pet foods generate substantial revenue, yet consumer research focussing on the decider and buyer roles of pet owners remains scarce in general, and even more so in the field of insect-based pet food. The limited academic sources that consider owner response to insect-based pet foods show that perceptions and deliberations of owners depend on a mix of responses. Some of these are also observed in the way consumers respond to insects as human food, others as how consumers respond to insect-based animal feed. This is in line with the special way owners treat pets, both as animal and family member. Given the extensive knowledge about consumer responses to insects as both food and feed, insects as pet food may provide a key research area for better understanding consumer responses to sustainable pet food in general and support the development and marketing of insect-based pet foods.