Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 2 March 2021

SPECIAL STORY 52 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE March 2021 INSECT-BASED Protein Sources AN INSIDER’S OVERVIEWOF THE INSECT INDUSTRY Insect-based ingredients have been on most feed industry radars for a few years now, as manufacturers look for new ways to provide novel animal- based protein to diets in an effort to reduce the reliance on fishmeal. Recent successes with consumer-facing products bearing ‘insect-fed’ and similar labels have emboldened farms and supermarkets to invest marketing into targeting higher-end, environmentally conscious shoppers, and the potential for making positive environmental impacts is drawing in investment around the world. But how ready is the industry to support this demand, and what needs to happen before insect-based ingredients (insect meal and oil) become a staple ingredient for feed formulators around the world? T aking a look at where & when the insect in- dustry started, and bench-marking it against historical developments in farming, such as the emergence of aquaculture in the late 20th century, the industry is still in its infancy. There is clear- ly huge potential for growth, but not without its challenges. Industrial-scale production of any live animal involves an ever increasing risk of diseases, changes in animal behaviour, and uncertainty. But unlike previous food revolutions, this one is taking place in parallel with a vast array of technologies which were previously unavailable, such as artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things (IoT). Cou- pled with a growing body of evidence on the efficacy of insect-based applications in a wide range of ani- mal feeds, the industry is at an inflection point, and is set to boom over the next 10 years, with analysts predicting 500,000 tons of annual insect meal pro- duction by 2030. THE INSECT FARM ORIGIN STORY The mass-production of insects has been going on around the world as part of Integrated Pest Manage- ment programmes since the 1970s to control agricul- tural pests, however since 2009 a new wave of insect production has swept the globe. Rather than farm- ing & releasing sterile insects, these new operations have developed business models that rely on the large scale propagation of highly fertile, fast growing spe- cies, grown under strict bio-safety conditions, and selected for their ability to convert low-grade organic matter into high quality feed ingredients. This new development in insect farming represents a critical turning point in the history of food production. These newly domesticated insects are in a whole new class of farmed animals, and by farming them, pioneer- ing companies are introducing an entirely new ingredi- ent to the livestock sector. Not only that, but they are Nick Piggott Co-Chief Executive Officer Nutrition Technologies