A sustainable food for the family member who eats absolutely anything (including fly larvae)
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Alison Gordon has a diverse CV – from dedicated military officer working in dangerous overseas deployments, to Mandarin linguist, to Antarctic and Arctic expedition guide, and now dog food inventor!
Yet in a way, all of her experiences led her to this point.
Alison was a Canberra-based mother of fur-baby Max, who is an ex-military working dog with anxiety, when her career pivot began. She set about creating an environmentally sustainable dog food after witnessing first-hand, the impact of human beings on the polar regions after more than 150 tours.
“I saw first-hand the impacts of the emissions we create in our daily lives – through the melting Greenland Ice Sheet, and on fish and penguin migrations. It was my equivalent of a canary in a coal mine.”
In her off seasons, Alison would return home to Max and make lifestyle changes to lessen her impact on the planet.
“I embraced all the low hanging fruit – driving less, riding more, toilet paper made from recycled fibres, Keep Cups, paper straws, less meat, voting that aligned with my values.”
Alison, far right, saw the impact of humans on the planet during her time in Antarctica and the Arctic.
She also started speaking to her captive audience in the polar regions about how they could advocate to preserve the places they fell in love with and how part of that could be through supporting innovation.
One innovation Alison was fascinated by was growth of the use of insects in food industry. Insects not only help solve a waste problem by eating the stuff humans won’t, but they are also an excellent source of protein.
Alison decided to do more than talk about it. She realised every girl’s dream of being a maggot farmer when she started a pilot insect farm out in Hume.
She worked with local Canberra cafes and Capital Brewery to get their unused food and barley spent grains to feed to the insects. She tested out substrates which made the insects thrive.
She took Max to the farm with her and he seemed partial to eating the insects that she’d inevitably drop.
This answered the question of what do with the protein she grew.
She onboarded a business partner, Canberra Vet Dr. Heidi Beruter, and started researching dog nutrition.
“We discovered that the black soldier fly larvae had peer reviewed studies showing its efficacy as a protein in dog food thanks to pioneering companies in Europe. We started formulating and testing and created Australia’s first complete and balanced whole food for dogs.”
Feed for Thought was born.
Alison and Max.
Now Alison is a proud mum to not only Max, but a thriving community of fly larvae and a human son!
“The flies live for six days as a fly in order to reproduce. This means that when they are in larvae form, they are voracious consumers. They must eat their entire lifecycle worth of energy in only one stage of their life. They will out eat other insect and are nature’s perfect up-cyclers. They take the food that we don’t use and turn it into more food. The by product (poo) is a rich soil-like substance that is an incredible fertiliser. So they not only up-cycle food that might otherwise go to landfill and causes greenhouse gases, they make more food and the by-product also helps to grow food. It’s a terrific example of a circular economy where resources aren’t wasted.”
Approximately 13 per cent of greenhouse gasses in Australia comes from food waste in landfill. “Not only do insects help reduce that, but they also naturally thrive in high density living, so you can farm them vertically without animal welfare concerns. You don’t need to cut down trees to create space for them to graze, nor do you need to cut down more trees to grow crops for them to eat, as they are eating wasted food. Lastly, they need little more water than what’s already in the food they eat, so they save on precious land and water.”
“And as a protein, they are nutritionally complete with some medium chain fatty acids that would make coconut oil jealous.”
Alison operated the pilot farm for two years to experiment and research before focussing on making dog food with the protein.
“No manufacturers had used insects in their machines and were worried it not being suitable. A capable yet fierce, independent manufacturer in Perth was the only one willing to take a chance on me and my idea. She’d been in the industry for 30 years, running her own show. She was terrifying, but exactly when I needed to help me get the right product, all because she saw another female business owner and wanted to give a little back.”
Alison reflects that had she known what a bumpy journey it would be to bring an insect-based commercial dog food to fruition, she may have stuck with her other jobs.
There were hiccups in her supply of larvae, a factory fire and various logistical setbacks which pushed her to her limits.
But her military training and problem-solving abilities allowed her to power through.
Now her biggest challenge is education.
Max, the goodest boi, is spokespup and inspiration behind Feed for Thought
“Very few people are opposed to a dog food that is just as good if not better than what they already feed their dog, but with 75 per cent fewer emissions. But some people think ‘insects, ewwww’. But to dogs, it’s just a meat, and a tasty and healthy one at that!”
Alison said most people did not associate dog food with sustainability, but commercial dog foods were generally far from planet friendly. While she’s not the first person in the world to make an insect protein dog food, Feed for Thought was a first for Australia. Now there are five businesses with an insect protein dog formula in Australia and the major international dog companies have also started making one.
“I believed in it from the start, simply because it makes so much sense. It’s great for dogs with allergies to chicken and beef too.”
She has a rusted-on clientele of early adopters, and reports that to dogs, the food tastes exactly like meat, with a slightly umami flavour.
Meanwhile, her friends and family are proud as punch, including her 10-year-old nephew who nominated Alison in a school project about a hero.
“He spoke of me and my efforts with Feed For Thought and I mention this moment as something that I’m most proud of not because my ego needs the validation of a ten-year-old but because it tells me that at the end of my time here, when my gorgeous nephew is saying his final goodbye to me, I can look him in the eyes and know that when science spoke and I had a choice, I made one that represented the good for all; I made one that left the world better for him and his generation and I made one that gave me a peaceful soul. I’m a mother now (I wasn’t when I started) and I feel proud that I can also say to my son that I did something that I believed in. I recognise the privilege in that statement.”
Next steps for Alison include expanding into international markets and potentially developing other dog food lines, including puppy food, a baked treat and a lightly cooked fresh option, or maybe even something for cats.
Your pooch can try some Feed for Thought from ordering online at feedforthought.com.au
