INTERVIEW 44 Alternative Proteins Magazine April 2025 Dr. Nick Rousseau, Founder and Managing Director of UK Edible Insect Association (UKEIA): “My vision of insect farming is not that it's starting to push out mainstream agriculture, but it more comes alongside it and helps to support it, as well as provide new revenue opportunities and new ways in which you can create value. A great example is that a farmer can have a container where they're farming black soldier fly and feeding them with organic byproducts from their own activities, and then feeding the larvae in a live state to their poultry.” The UK is one of the regions where the insect industry is developing rapidly. The UK Edible Insect Association (UKEIA), which represents the sector, emphasises the growing interest in the sector and the increasing number of members. The association also notes that food-related companies are also interested in insect bioconversion for waste management. However, the slow pace of legislation on insect farming and the use of insect-based proteins, as well as the cautious policies of governments towards this field, stand as one of the biggest obstacles to the growth of the sector. Emphasising the strong potential of insect bioconversion to manage waste, Dr. Nick Rousseau, Founder and Managing Director of UKEIA, is hopeful for the future. Dr. Rousseau, who believes that the traditional livestock sector and the insect sector should go hand in hand for a sustainable food system, discussed the UK insect sector, the potential of insects in terms of sustainability, and the relationship between traditional livestock and insect farming, for the readers of our magazine. Details in our interview... Mr. Rousseau, could you introduce the UK Edible Insect Association to our readers who are not familiar with you? What can you tell us about your organisation and your work? The UK Edible Insect Association is the only trade association that supports companies working with all forms of farmed insect protein in the UK market. We have members from across the supply chain, and actually have new members joining just about every week. To illustrate, we recently had a Kenyan pet food company that wants to enter the market called Loop Pet Food, and one of the major waste management services, Packaged Solutions. We have a very diverse membership from small companies to substantial ones. Our role is to build connections between different companies to help them find supply chain relationships, partnerships, etc. TRADITIONAL FOOD PRODUCTION AND INSECT FARMING FOR PROTEIN GO HAND IN HAND
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