In Europe, interest in breeding edible insects is growing after an EU vote earlier this month that highlighted the first insect-derived food in green product for human consumption. However, insect protein pioneers face other obstacles, such as restricting which insects can be fed.
The approval went to dried yellow mealworm, which was developed by the French biotechnology Agronutris and can be consumed as a whole snack or as an ingredient in biscuits, smoothies or pasta products. The EU move follows record investments in meat and dairy alternatives over the past year as demand for more sustainable forms of food protein grows.
Insects offer the potential for a high quality food source that is grown using fewer resources than traditional methods. While mealworms use energy levels similar to pigs to make a kilo of protein, they produce between 10 and 100 times less greenhouse gases and require far less farmland or water.
Industry may have to grapple with the “yuck factor” of insect consumption in European markets. It is projected that the number of Europeans who consume edible insects will increase from nine million in 2019 to 390 million in 2030, and will join nearly two billion others who eat them worldwide.
“The EU approval of the yellow mealworm as a novel food was a big step forward for the industry,” says Eric Archambeau, co-founder and partner of the investor company Astanor Ventures for agro-food technology.
“It shows the mealworm’s superior nutritional value and opens the door to further approvals. The approval currently only covers the entire insect, but paves the way for approval of additional products such as defatted insect protein, which is a huge market for insect-derived products. “
The draft EU law on the approval of yellow mealworm for human consumption was passed by its 27 member states in January after a positive scientific opinion from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA). As soon as the European Commission has officially adopted the text – probably at the end of June – Agronutris will have the exclusive marketing rights for the larvae for five years.
“The insect-based products will be of interest to athletes, flexitarians and the elderly,” said Cédric Auriol, co-founder of Agronutris.
“These three markets are interesting because they are looking for quality and sustainable proteins that insects can offer.”
Other companies and organizations join Agronutris. To date, more than 20 novel EU food applications for edible insect products have been submitted to EFSA. One of the best known is the French company Ynsect, which has applied for an EFSA decision on a defatted insect protein powder. The company closed a whopping Series C round for € 304 million last October and acquired Dutch mealworm maker Protifarm last month.
The Dutch insect breeder Fair Insects, which was acquired by the insect-based manufacturer Protix in 2017, wants to market both house barbecues and grasshoppers as an ingredient in consumables such as cereals, ready meals and alcoholic beverages. The company points out that both insects are easy to breed, have short life cycles, and are high in omega-3 fatty acids.
The Belgian insect industry association has applied to sell heat-treated migratory locust nymphs or adults for savory sandwich spreads, sauces, confectionery and salads, among other things.
In the meantime, the Finnish Beekeeping Association is hoping to market protein-rich ingredients from male honey bee larvae. The association points out in its EFSA application that males are removed from the beehive in many countries in order to control mites. They are therefore a by-product of beekeeping and honey production and are themselves of high nutritional value.
Agronutris staff processing mealworm.
Edible insect products are already available in some EU Member States. This is because they were put on sale before the EU included insect-based foods in its latest Novel Food Regulation in 2018, which required pre-market authorization.
Countries have adopted different approaches to transitional measures that will allow companies in this position to resell their products while their market approval is decided, leading to patchwork enforcement of the legislation.
While Germany and Austria have only applied the transitional measure to whole insects and not to derivatives, others such as Sweden and Finland have applied it to both types of insect products. In contrast, Spain and Portugal did not apply the transitional measure or only applied it restrictively.
According to a survey by a non-profit EU lobby group known as the International Platform for Insects for Food and Feed, the industry as a whole is still in its infancy. Four fifths of the 33 European companies that develop edible insect products surveyed employed fewer than 10 people. Almost two thirds had a total investment of less than half a million euros.
While the recent EU decision will be important to the growth of the sector, some experts believe that the greatest growth may not come from human consumption but from animal feed.
“In Europe today, insects are more of a novelty than a fast-growing food category,” says Peter Nieuwenhuizen, co-founder of the European Circular Bioeconomy Fund (ECBF).
“The more interesting area from a commercial and sustainable perspective is for both livestock and domestic animals, where insects raised on by-products and waste could be of great benefit.”
Nieuwenhuizen pointed out that insects fed on by-products of brewing and potato processing such as hides can already be used in animal feed and fish farming. However, feeding insects with huge streams of food waste such as certain supermarket and catering waste is currently not allowed. Nieuwenhuizen sees the lifting of these restrictions on the horizon.
The use of insects in animal feed has already reached the mainstream. Nestle launched a Swiss version of its Purina pet food in November that contained protein from black soldier fly larvae.
Thomas Farrugia, CEO and founder of British fly breeder Betabugs for black soldiers, also sees animal feed as a key growth area for the industry.
“The EU’s approval of insects for human consumption means that more and more consumers are becoming aware of the opportunities the insect protein market offers – not just for direct human consumption, but also as an alternative to the protein sources currently used in animal feed. like soy, ”he told me.
“This will accelerate the demand for insect protein and accelerate the growth of our sector.”
Cover picture by Elena Resko. Body text image of Agronutris.
