When you choose to feed HOPE to your pets, you are choosing to feed a nutritious and sustainable diet created in Canada by a women-led team of scientists on a mission to use science and kindness to make radically better, meat-free, sustainable pet food so that all living things can live in harmony with the needs of our planet.

As the human population grows, the companion animal population grows as well. This means a very large demand for agricultural production. Feeding your pets HOPE can reduce your pet’s environmental impact or ecological pawprint. Traditional pet foods rely on meat ingredients, which create a ton of greenhouse gases, and demand a massive amount of land and water. If we do not start thinking about sustainability, our pet food will not only begin to compete with human food supply chains, but we will continue to see devastating biodiversity loss.

As locally as possible, over 90% of our ingredients are sourced from Canada! Our insect ingredients come from Enterra, a Canadian insect producer. 

Our treats are for any life stage. Our food is only for adult maintenance. We certainly HOPE someday to add puppy and senior complete and balanced foods. Check back soon for further innovations to our core adult maintenance line.

There is abundant scientific evidence that dogs find insects palatable and will choose a diet rich in insects as frequently as a diet containing turkey and chicken. It is also known that insects are part of wild Canidae diets like foxes and wolves. 

At HOPE, we have conducted tests at every step of the process to make sure dogs love the flavour of our products. After all, a nutritious and sustainable diet is only great if our furry friends are eager to eat it up! We have provided samples to hundreds of dogs – from picky to garbage disposal – and selected the formula that got the most “paws up.”

Over 30% of food is wasted, mostly sent to landfills creating toxic greenhouse gases that are harmful to our environment. Black soldier fly larvae provide a valuable solution to this global problem, as they naturally upcycle nutrients from organic matter. Insects are fed traceable, recycled food including fruits, vegetables and grains to feed our insects. This environmentally responsible approach reduces the volume in landfills while delivering high quality nutrients for animal feed and pet food. Nothing wasted, everything gained.

AAFCO approves the use of black soldier fly larvae protein and oil (T33.29 and T60.117) in adult dog foods. In Europe, the use of black soldier fly larvae has been approved since 2015.

Recent research displays the use of BSFL in pet food, animal feed and even in human food. Research has shown its effectiveness as a digestible, palatable and nutrient rich alternative protein source. BSFL can be used in diets to make them complete and balanced and meet AAFCO standards. HOPE Pet Food is formulated to meet the requirements of adult dogs using BSFL and meets AAFCO and FEDIAF requirements.

Learn more about entomophagy (eating insects!) here.

There is a ton of research, and the list is growing. Here’s a list of some of our favourite reads:

Freel et al. (2021). Digestibility and safety of dry black soldier fly larvae (BSFL) meal and BSFL oil in dogs. Journal of Animal Science,

Do et al. (2020). Nutrient and AA digestibility of black soldier fly larvae differing in age using the precision-fed cecectomized rooster assay. Journal of Animal Science, 98, 1-10. 

Kroger et al. (2020). Evaluation of an extruded diet for adult dogs containing larvae meal from the Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens). Animal Feed Science and Technology, 270, 

Bosch et al. (2016). In vitro digestibility and fermentability of selected insects for dog foods. Animal Feed Science and Technology, 221, 174-184.

Mccusker et al. (2014). Amino acid content of selected plant, algae and insect species: a search for alternative protein sources for use in pet foods. Journal of Nutritional Science, 3, 1-5.

Bosch et al. (2014). Protein quality of insects as potential ingredients for dog and cat foods. Journal of Nutritional Science, 3.

Algae is the umbrella term for microalgae and macroalgae.

Seaweed is an umbrella term for any marine macroalgae.

Kelp is a type of (brown) seaweed. Kelp are nutritious and packed with vitamins, minerals.

Microalgae can be found in freshwater or seawater and is known for its high protein content and because it is rich in healthy fatty acids. 

Learn more about these weird and wonderful organisms here.

We use grains, barley and oats in our diet to provide a digestible carbohydrate source as well as dietary fiber. They are also an excellent source of energy and contain many different vitamins and minerals which are beneficial for dogs. Barley and oats both have a low glycemic index which contribute to a slower release of energy and they also help maintain healthy blood glucose or sugar levels.

If you are looking for more information around grain-free dog food and cardiomyopathy, please check out this blog post by our pet nutrition specialist.

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), pulses are dry-harvested leguminous crops, including beans, peas, chickpeas, and lentils. However, pulses do not include any legumes rich in fat/oil or moisture at the time of harvest, like soybeans and peanuts, or fresh beans and peas. All pulses are legumes, but not all legumes are pulses!

Want to know more about why pulses were talked about at length when it comes to grain-free dog food and concerns around DCM? Check out this blog post by our pet nutrition specialist.

Our treats are good for everyone – even pet parents can take a bite if they are brave! As a side note: Our Founder is the first to taste all of HOPE's products.

HOPE’s current dog food is formulated for adult maintenance, meaning it is best suited for dogs who are not growing anymore (dogs above the age of 12-18 months). Check back soon for future formulations of puppy food.

Dogs and cats are both included in the Carnivora order, therefore many pet owners believe that dogs and cats require a very high amount of dietary protein concentrations to flourish. Due to recent trends in the pet food industry, most dog foods have protein levels well above nutrient requirements.

However, undigested protein is just excreted in feces and can produce a more unpleasant smell. Excess protein can also increase nitrogen excretion in urine without any benefit to your pet. This excess nitrogen elimination can negatively impact our environment due to increased acidification and eutrophication of soil. Dogs and cats, like humans, require specific nutrients, not ingredients. These nutrients can be reached with a variety of different ingredient sources, including animal products, novel proteins, grains, pulses, etc.

At HOPE, we aim to use accurate protein contents and digestible protein sources in our pet foods to help your pet thrive while also reducing their ecological paw print.

How often you should feed your pet is dependent on the life stage of your cat or dog. Kittens and puppies should be fed multiple times per day (3-4 times), while healthy adult cats and dogs only need to be fed once per day!

The easiest way to transition your dog to any new food is to introduce the food slowly over a period of at least three days, but can be longer if you choose. This way the new ingredients or new formulation of the food won’t upset your dog’s digestive system and cause diarrhea. Be sure to mix the new food and old food together in the same bowl and offer it to your dog. Check out the chart below for an easy transition schedule.

Short transition schedule:

Longer transition schedule:

HOPE is formulated without the top allergens in dogs which are commonly used proteins in pet foods. This includes chicken, beef, lamb, chicken eggs, dairy products and soy.

HOPE utilizes novel protein from black soldier fly larvae to create a healthy and hypoallergenic diet for adult dogs. Novel proteins are just new proteins your pet has not been exposed to yet and are commonly recommended when your pet has a suspected food allergy. 

Can dogs be allergic to insects?

As insects are a novel protein used in pet food, it is unlikely your dog will be allergic to insects, compared to more commonly used protein sources like chicken. It is always possible to develop food allergies to any food, so it is best to keep up to date with your dogs skin and coat condition as well as their bowel movements. 

Looking for more info about HOPE for your dog with allergies? Check out this page for more!

“Complete and balanced” is a term defined by AAFCO. It means the product meets or exceeds all of the nutrients required for your pet by undergoing a nutrient analysis OR the product has undergone animal feeding trials and has demonstrated its ability to meet or exceed your pets nutritional requirements.

“Guaranteed analysis” refers to minimum or maximum percentages of key nutrients in a pet food package. Minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, as well as maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture are required on pet food labels. “Crude” simply refers to the specific testing method of the product. Other nutrient guarantees like vitamins and minerals can be included in the guaranteed analysis, but it is not required.

Pet food manufacturers in Canada are subject to following regulations made by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA). The CFIA creates animal health safeguards which make it illegal for specified risk materials to be fed to any animal including your pets! Manufacturers must follow the Consumer Packaging and Labelling Act as well as the Competition Act. These acts let manufacturers know how pet food can be marketed to consumers, including how the pet food is named and what type of information needs to be available on the label. There is also a Pet Food Association of Canada (PFAC) which is an industry association of pet food manufacturers as well as companies selling goods to the pet food manufacturing industry. Its members manufacture their pet foods to the nutritional standards put in place by AAFCO.

In the USA, the Association of American Feed Control Officials (AAFCO) is a voluntary member association of American state and federal officials who develop model laws for states to regulate the sale and distribution of animal feeds including pet food. They set nutrient minimums and maximums for both dogs and cats and set standards for conducting feeding trials, which are designed to test the nutrient profiles of dog and cat food. These nutrient profiles are based on the National Research Council’s recommendations which are based on scientific literature.

The European Pet Food Industry Federation (FEDIAF) is the trade body representing the European pet food industry. They work through a committee structure and review: additives and undesirable substances, feed safety and hygiene, product communication, nutritional and analytical science, feed materials and trade, environment and sustainability, and particular nutritional purposes.