ARTICLE 54 F&A Alternative Proteins Edition April 2023 “Aquaculture is a fast-growing and efficient food production system and is expected to be the main contributor to the increased demand for animal proteins. However, aquaculture today still heavily relies on fishmeal as a feed ingredient, which is made of wild-caught fish. The availability of fishmeal is limited. The use of fishmeal in livestock and pet food applications adds additional pressure on already scarce fishmeal supplies.” INSECT MEAL, A FUNCTIONAL PROTEIN SOURCE TO HELP FILL THE PROTEIN GAP By Entobel A GROWING POPULATION AND INCREASED PROTEIN DEMAND The continued rise in the world’s population (9.8 billion in 2050 according to the United Nations estimation), along with the rise of the middle class in developing countries, will lead to a significant increase in the demand for food and proteins, particularly animal proteins. Traditional livestock production, such as beef, pork, and to a lesser extent poultry, has a high environmental footprint. It requires vast amounts of resources, including land, water, and feed, and contributes significantly to deforestation, biodiversity loss, greenhouse gas emissions, and water pollution. Aquaculture – as opposed to wild catch – on the other hand, is a fast-growing and efficient food production system and is expected to be the main contributor to the increased demand for animal proteins. However, aquaculture today still heavily relies on fishmeal as a feed ingredient, which is made of wild-caught fish. The availability of fishmeal is limited. The use of fishmeal in livestock and pet food applications adds additional pressure on already scarce fishmeal supplies. In many instances, fishmeal inclusion in fish and shrimp diets has already been reduced to its ‘’limits’’ using other protein sources such as soybean
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