Pet-food insect-protein approval matrix
Approval status of four insect species for pet food (dog/cat) across six jurisdictions. Every status cell is a verbatim quote of a first-hand in-repo C1 topic; cells with no retrievable first-hand basis are honest gaps. The single most important scope fact is preserved explicitly: the EU and (for non-BSFL) US approvals are framed around livestock feed, and only US AAFCO explicitly names adult dog + adult cat as permitted uses.
Critical scope split
- EU insect authorisations (Reg 2017/893, 2021/1372, 2021/1925) name **aquaculture, poultry and
pig feed — not pet food**. The in-repo EU topic states plainly: *"pet food (dogs, cats) is not explicitly listed in Reg 2021/1925,"*
- US (AAFCO) is the only jurisdiction in this set whose insect definition text explicitly lists
adult dog food and adult cat food as permitted uses (BSFL only).
Species × jurisdiction status (pet-food dog/cat scope)
| Species | EU | US (AAFCO) | SG | TH | KR | CN |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BSFL (*Hermetia illucens*) | livestock-only (aquaculture/poultry/pig); pet food not in cited regs | adult dog + adult cat — OFFICIAL (2025) | pet food under NParks; framework pending | policy push, binding standard pending | gap | gap |
| Yellow mealworm (*Tenebrio molitor*) | livestock-only; pet food not in cited regs | gap | gap | gap | gap | gap |
| House cricket (*Acheta domesticus*) | livestock-only; pet food not in cited regs | gap | gap | gap | gap | gap |
| Silkworm (*Bombyx mori*) | livestock-only; pet food not in cited regs | gap | pet food under NParks; framework pending | gap | gap | gap |
Per-cell verbatim basis
EU (livestock feed, not pet food)
- Reg 2017/893: *"permitted the use of processed animal proteins (PAPs) derived from insects in aquaculture feed"*
- Reg 2021/1372: *"authorise the use of processed animal proteins derived from insects (insect PAPs) in poultry and pig feed"*
- Reg 2021/1925 (silkworm): *"the EU legislator authorised the use of silkworm (Bombyx mori) processed animal proteins (PAPs) in aquaculture, poultry and pig feed"* and *"expanding the list of authorised insect species from seven to eight"*
- The seven pre-2021 species: *"Hermetia illucens (black soldier fly), Musca domestica (common housefly), Tenebrio molitor (yellow mealworm), Alphitobius diaperinus (lesser mealworm), Acheta domesticus (house cricket), Gryllodes sigillatus (banded cricket) and Gryllus assimilis (Jamaican field cricket)"*
- Pet-food caveat (verbatim): *"pet food (dogs, cats) is not explicitly listed in Reg 2021/1925,"*
US — AAFCO (only explicit pet-food authorisation)
- T60.117(C), 2021 tentative: *"for use in salmonid, poultry, and swine feed and in adult dog food"*
- T33.29(B) BSFL Oil, 2024 official: *"swine and finfish feed and adult dog and adult cat food"*
- T60.117, 2025 official (consolidated): *"T60.117 Dried Black Soldier Fly Larvae is the dried larvae of the Black Soldier Fly, Hermetia illucens"* and *"It is for use in finfish, poultry, and swine feed, and in adult dog food, and adult cat food"*
SG — SFA framework (pet food under NParks)
- *"The National Parks Board (NParks) is the regulatory authority for pet food, including pet food containing insects"* (SFA proposed letting insect species with a known history of human consumption be used as food or livestock feed, farm-raised in a controlled environment; the consolidated insect instrument + NParks pet-food specifics are not the final statutory text in the cited source.)
TH — ACFS/DLD 2023 policy push (binding standard pending)
- *"The National Bureau of Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards will promote the use of larvae of black soldier flies as main ingredients for making farm animal feeds and pet foods for both local consumption and export"*
- *"the high potential of BSFL as an alternative protein source for making pet foods and animal feeds"*
- Source is a press report of a policy push, not the finalized Thai feed standard; the binding legal instrument (ACFS standard / DLD notification) is honest-pending.
Honest gaps
- KR (all species) and CN (all species): no in-repo insect topic exists; not fabricated.
- US mealworm / cricket / silkworm: not present in the AAFCO BSFL topics (T60.117 / T33.29 cover
BSFL only); separate AAFCO definitions would be required before a status can be stated.
- SG pet-food specifics: NParks is named as the pet-food authority but the cited SFA source is a
consultation baseline, not final statutory text for insect pet food.
- TH: press report, not binding law.
Method & source-quality notes
- Every quoted cell above is a substring of its named in-repo C1 topic (the source_documents list).
- EU underlying text is reported via the IPIFF industry guide cross-referenced to EUR-Lex CELEX
numbers (32017R0893 / 32021R1372 / Reg 2021/1925); regulation identifiers are official, the prose summary is industry-sourced — flagged honestly rather than treated as first-hand statute.
- US text is from AAFCO Official Publication motions (tentative 2021 → official 2025).
- Reproduce: re-open each named in-repo topic; every quoted cell is a substring of that file.
Cross-references
eu_2017_893_aquaculture_first_authorization_insect_pap,eu_2021_1372_poultry_pig_insect_pap,
eu_2021_1925_silkworm_added_to_authorised_species — EU detail
aafco_2021_t60_117_bsfl_adult_dog_tentative,aafco_2024_t60_117a_bsfl_official_finfish,
aafco_2025_t60_117_bsfl_official_adult_dog_cat — US AAFCO detail
sg_sfa_insect_food_feed_framework,th_bsf_pet_animal_feed— SG / TH detail