The Voice of the Customer

MAECK surveyed 194 pet (dog and cat) owners and asked what was important to your pet food purchase decisions. We focused on primary considerations (price, ingredients, nutrition, palatability, trust in brand) and then dove deeper to ask if you would consider feeding insect based foods to your pets. Further, we wanted to understand what benefits might impact your likeliness to try an insect based dog food, and what would make you avoid it.

Dog Summary

  • 80% thought Price was “somewhat important” or “very important”
  • 96% thought Ingredients were “somewhat important” or “very important”
  • 96% thought Nutrition was “somewhat important” or “very important”
  • 97% thought Palatability was “somewhat important” or “very important”
  • 93% thought Trust in Brand was “somewhat important” or “very important”

…diving deeper and including cats:

  • 57% “probably would” or “definitely would” feed an insect based dog food to your pet
  • 75% “probably would” or “definitely would” feed your pet a free sample of insect based dog food

…and the drivers of that decision to try insect based foods:

  •  84% were “slightly more likely” or “much more likely” if research demonstrated health benefits
  •  73% were “slightly more likely” or “much more likely” if clear environmental benefits
  •  65% were were “slightly more likely” or “much more likely” if 100% natural
  •  87% were “slightly more likely” or “much more likely” if our pets enjoyed eating it

…and the drivers that would make you avoid insect based foods:

  •  89% said food safety had “some impact or big impact”
  •  95% said nutrition had “some impact or big impact”
  •  91% said concerns of palatability had “some impact or big impact”

MAECK’s marching orders are clear:

  1. Produce an excellent insect based dog food and treat that is price competitive, made from wholesome ingredients, has clear nutritional benefits and is loved by your pets.
  2. Demonstrate pet health safety and environmental benefits of this unique alternative protein 
  3. Present the data and the science which confirms insect proteins are an excellent source of sustainable protein for dog food and a viable alternative to meat.