ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE October 2022 21 Insects are one of the most important alternative protein sources that come to mind first today. First of all, can you tell us about the features that make insects a good alternative protein source for both feed and food? Insect farming activities and their derived products respond to the demand for sustainable and high-quality protein to feed a growing population, by generating locally produced food, as well as feed ingredients which could be used in fish or livestock farming. The sustainability of insect farming is given by its reduced environmental footprint and high efficiency in terms of water and land footprint. Thanks to vertical farming techniques, insect farming requires less arable land as insect farmers use ‘crates’ aligned vertically to rear their insects. Most commonly farmed species are able to absorb the water they need from their substrates. Moreover, insects can also contribute to reducing the burden of food waste, being fed with underused agri-food by-/ co-products (e.g., vegetable/fruits/starch origin) or food no longer destined for human consumption (e.g., unsold products from supermarkets, food products arising from the food manufacturing and being discarded for technical reasons). Insect proteins contain relevant amino acids and vitamins for both animal nutrition and human consumption. Insects are quite versatile ingredients and can be added to foods and feed in different ways. Both directly as whole insects (e.g., boiled, fried or in dried form), processed into powder or paste to increase nutritional value or functionality, as well as various ingredients (e.g., protein powder, insect oil, etc). We had our last interview with IPIFF in April 2021. Since then, there have been many developments in the insect industry. Especially at the European Commission, new regulations were passed regarding the use of insects and insect products. Can you tell us a little about these regulations and their impact on the insect industry? Since April 2021, the European insect sector has welcomed several regulatory developments which helped and will help the industry to upscale. Following the positive vote from the EU Member States in April 2021, Commission Regulation (EU) 2021/1372, which formally authorised the use of Processed Animal Proteins derived from farmed insects (insect PAPs) in pig and poultry feed, entered into force on 7 September 2021. This authorisation opened two of the most relevant EU animal feed markets, which represent circa 65% of the EU compound feed production. Following the entry into force of this implementing regulation, the demand for insects as feed is expected to grow, leading to an increase in the production capacity of the sector. The authorisation of insect PAPs in poultry and pig feed will offer new opportunities - starting with the incorporation of such ingredients into the diet of such animals, the subsequent use of insects in organically farmed chicken and pigs, implicitly strengthening partnerships between insect and animal farms. With regards to edible insects, since 2021 with the first Novel Food authorisation, several other positive EFSA (European Food Safety Authority) opinions and consequent authorisations have followed. Currently (Autumn 2022), four Novel Food authorisations concerning products derived from edible insects have entered into force: dried yellow mealworm (22 June 2021), dried and frozen migraEssento (Insect burger - Switzerland)
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