ISSUE FOCUS FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE August 2025 65 ECONOMICS: WASTE AS AN ASSET, NOT A COST Incorporating aquaculture waste into BSF systems not only improves sustainability but also changes the economics. Feed is the most significant operating cost in both aquaculture and insect farming.8 By transforming waste into a zero-cost input, companies can save on raw materials, reduce landfill and waste-treatment fees, and generate secondary value through the sale of frass or carbon credits. In Chile, some of the companies we’ve spoken with see the use of local fish waste not only as a sustainability play but as a buffer against the rising prices of imported feed ingredients. Moreover, the externalities, such as reduced GHG emissions, avoided waste disposal fees, and improved soil health from frass, are rarely captured in cost-benefit analyses but are critical to long-term sustainability. With proper investment, BSF systems could not only lower production costs but also enhance the environmental credentials of farmed fish. WHAT NEEDS TO CHANGE To unlock this potential, Europe needs to shift from a prescriptive to a risk-based regulatory model.9 Rather than banning entire waste categories, the system should allow for conditional approvals based on validated safety protocols. Standardized testing, certification schemes, and third-party audits can ensure safety while enabling innovation. At the same time, the industry must collaborate across sectors, bringing together fish farmers, insect producers, researchers, and policymakers to co-design systems that are technically, economically, and legally effective. Organizations like IPIFF (International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed) and their members can play a leading role in this process, offering not just breeding expertise but the technical infrastructure needed to scale. CONCLUSION: TIME TO REDESIGN WASTE Aquaculture side streams are not a problem; they are a design flaw in how we define and manage waste. Black Soldier Fly farming offers a biologically elegant, economically sound, and ecologically urgent solution. But for it to work, we need to align science with policy and innovation with regulation. As the global food system races to meet growing demand while reducing environmental impact, BSF farming, at the intersection of aquaculture and circularity, could be the breakthrough we’ve been waiting for. References 1Aquaculture waste types and production potential: https://www.sciencedirect.com/, PMC9857928 2Bioconversion of aquaculture waste blended with vegetable by-products using Hermetia illucens larvae: Sciencedirect 3Aquaculture sludge as feed for black soldier fly: ScienceDirect 4Research on BSF use in Asia, USA, LATAM: PMCID: PMC5664030 5University of Arkansas. National Institute of Food and Agriculture 6Accumulation of contaminants in larvae: https:// www.MDPI.com/, PMC9184698 7Safe Insects 2.0 reports and HACCP protocols 8Frontier Economics report: Delivering Insect Feed at Scale, 2023 9EFSA working group concept paper 2024, IPIFF advocacy briefs 10Front. Anim. Sci., 30 May 2023. Volume 4 - 2023 | https://doi.org/10.3389/fanim.2023.1204767 ShutterStock | 2124218432
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