Feed & Additive Magazine Issue 3 April 2021

INTERVIEW FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE April 2021 57 Feed (IPIFF) is an EU non-profit organisation which represents the interests of the insect production sector towards EU policymakers, European stakeholders and citizens. Originally created in 2012, the association works in close contact with insect farmers and produc- ers - currently 75 members in 23 countries - in bridging the gap between the sector and EU/international insti- tutions by giving information and updates on the reg- ulatory advancements and understanding policy needs. Our organisation integrates academic entities (universi- ties and research institutes) and actors producing equip- ment and/or machinery in order to have a full picture of the entire production chain. IPIFF’s main mission is to promote, inform and support the wider use of in- sects as a complementary source of protein for human consumption and animal feed by centring its activities around advocating for appropriate EU legislative frame- works to apply to insect production. Why have insects or insect-based proteins become so important? Why are we talking about insects more in both human and animal nutrition? With agriculture being ‘responsible for 10.3% of the EU’s GHG emissions’ - according to the Europe- an Environment Agency (EEA) -, the need to develop and support more environmentally friendly practices in agriculture, such as insect farming, is evident. In parallel, between 90 and 130 million tonnes of food 1 is wasted every year in the EU, half of which is generated at the production and/or processing stage. Being highly versatile and efficient, insects can bio-transform many of these materials (before they become ‘waste’) into a wide range of higher-value products and ingredients - that can further be in- cluded in the food and feed chains. Moreover, in recent years, the willingness of consum- ers to try insect-based food and insect-fed animals is increasing. The demand for complementary sources of protein creates further opportunities for the sector as a growing industry. IPIFF believes that the development of the market in Europe would be driven by accessibili- ty, consumer acceptance and regulatory advancements. Do you have any data on how many insect producers there are currently in the world? It is estimated that there are several hundred reg- istered insect producers globally (including start-ups that are still at a very early stage and are not fully established). The majority of the insect producers that are part of IPIFF are enterprises that are already established, following good practices for insect farm- ing, such as those developed and promoted by IPIFF (e.g. such as those mentioned in the IPIFF Guide on Good Hygiene Practices). What role do you think insects will play in our lives in the future? IPIFF believes that insects and insect-based products will play an important role in the future food and feed panorama, thanks to the upcoming regulatory devel- opments which will unlock opportunities for the sec- tor (e.g. upcoming novel food authorisation, expected approval of insect processed animal proteins (PAPs) in poultry and pig feed). More specifically, insects and their-derived ingredients will become a relevant com- plementary source of human and animal nutrition in the near future. Insects are more than proteins: they contain minerals, vitamins, fibres, but also healthy fat- ty acids, such as omega 6 and omega 3. In food, insects may be eaten ‘whole’ or incorpo- rated in a wide range of products – such as snacks, bakery or meat analogues – while in animal feed, insects are compatible with the nutritional needs of aquaculture, poultry, or swine animals. By the end of the decade, we anticipate that insect