Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has established a food production facility to provide a healthier diet for street animals. The high-protein, additive-free food produced is used to feed cats and dogs in municipal shelters.

Izmir Metropolitan Municipality has established a food production facility for stray animals in shelters. With the work carried out within the Izmir Metropolitan Municipality Department of Environmental Protection and Control, high quality and high protein food is obtained.

They feed on waste food
The facility in Seyrek uses nature-friendly, short-lived black soldier flies that live in tropical climates, have no mouthparts or stingers, and do not carry any risk of biting or carrying diseases. Black soldier flies lay their eggs in specially designed honeycombs after mating. After about 105 hours, baby larvae emerge. The baby larvae are ready to feed within 3 or 5 days. After their shelf life expires, the larvae are fed with food ground in the facility. The larvae transform these wastes into protein and oil in about 15 days and reach the harvest stage. The harvested larvae are sieved.
 
No preservatives
Harvested black soldier fly (BSF) larvae are boiled. The larvae are then dried using the cold press method and the oil is removed. BSF flour, which is very rich in minerals, contains high levels of protein and calcium, and is obtained without the use of any additives and preservatives, is transformed into food after the final process in the food production facility within Izmir Pako Street Animals Social Life Campus.
 
Plans to increase production
Umut Polat, İzmir Metropolitan Municipality Veterinary Affairs Branch Manager, stated that the food produced is high in protein and hypoallergenic in terms of feeding stray animals. Emphasizing that it is planned to produce between 500 kilograms and 1 ton per day with the new machines to be purchased, Umut Polat said, "The food we produce will be used for our own internal feeding in the first place. But we will also support the field feeding of street animals with the food we produce."
 
Street animals will now be fed healthier
Referring to the importance of production, Polat said, "We feed stray animals with quality food that we produce ourselves, whose content we know. Thus, we will contribute to a healthier diet for our animals. It is very important for their health." Emphasizing that this work is also economically advantageous, Umut Polat said, "We will achieve a significant decrease in the amount of food we will buy annually. We will not need to purchase food in the future."