The global edible insect industry is expected to appreciate in value by 2023, reaching over $ 1 billion. Over 2,100 species of insects are consumed as food in hundreds of countries around the world. Western countries like the US and Europe lead the way in terms of value, but in the Asia-Pacific region, analysts continue to predict that this market will reach $ 270 million by 2024
One of the market leaders in edible insects in the region, especially in terms of industry organization, is undoubtedly South Korea, which already has a number of laws and frameworks in place for the development of the sector.
The East Asian nation also recently announced its “Third Comprehensive Plan to Boost the Insect and Sericulture Industry”.
“The aim of this plan is to promote the insect and silkworm (silkworm) sectors in the high-tech industry, as these markets are expected to grow significantly over the next few years,” said the South Korean Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Agriculture rural areas affairs Kim Hyeon-su.
“In South Korea, the number of edible insects approved as local foods or food ingredients has grown rapidly from just three species in 2016 to nine species in 2020. Approved edible insects currently include grasshoppers, silkworm pupae, mealworm beetles, rhinoceros beetle larvae and two-spotted cricket and so on.
“Fourteen types of insects, including black stag beetles and king crickets, have been legally designated as“ farm animals ”and recognized as such by farmers and industry. We have also set industry standards such as Edible Insect Breeding Standards and Insect Resource Centers to provide support to farmers. “
As a result of government investment, the number of farmers and food companies active in the insect industry increased by a whopping 280% between 2015 (908) and 2019 (2,535), according to MAFRA figures, while the value of the local insect industry increased 250% from 16, KRW 2 billion (USD 14.3 million) to KRW 40.5 billion (USD 35 million) over the same period.
“The third comprehensive plan will examine areas such as the development of insect protein, which is environmentally friendly and has a higher protein content compared to existing sources such as soy and meat, to help solve future food and environmental problems,” said Kim.
“It will also study the development of various health promoting foods by studying the functional and active ingredients of insects to meet the growing need for such functional foods.”
Australia.
Miles away in Australia, the government is also supporting efforts to develop the local edible insect industry as a source of protein, which is projected to grow to A $ 10 million ($ 7.7 million) a year over the next five years.
Similar to South Korea, the government is making insect protein available to consumers as a “nutritious, sustainable and ethical” source of alternative protein, where the Australian National Science Agency CSIRO and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) have jointly funded the development of a national Edible Insects Roadmap: A Roadmap for the Strategic Growth of an Emerging Australian Industry.
“Australia has a wide variety of native insects. Working with First Nations (indigenous) companies, many species have the potential to be sustainably harvested or grown in low impact farms and converted into new and delicious Australian food, ”said entomologist and co-author of the CSIRO, Dr . Bryan Lessard.
“Commercial insect farming has a small ecological footprint and requires minimal feed, water, energy and land resources – factors that are important to modern health and the ethical consumer.”
The report aims to set the framework for the current state of the industry and encourage growth, but also notes that “few companies have reached commercial scale” and “current consumer acceptance is low in Australia”, when it comes to the consumption of insects.
“Most Western cultures have developed an aversion to insects that is perpetuated by stereotypes of insects that are dirty, noxious, dangerous, only eaten in times of desperation, or have an inherent ‘yuk’ factor,” the authors wrote Report.
“[However], local indigenous groups who have traditionally consumed over 60 species of native insect species, [so it is important to] Develop the industry together with these groups and combine these initiatives with Western science to increase the chances of success. “
South East Asia.
In Southeast Asia, in several countries such as Myanmar and Thailand, insects were traditionally consumed as food but not as a staple, and were usually fried and sold whole at street stalls. These traditional formats are generally not associated with the newer edible insect movement. which focuses on insects as a source of alternative protein.
Thailand’s CP Foods recently entered into a collaboration with the local Chiang Mai University to develop black soldier fly protein as a food and feed source.
According to the company’s senior vice president, Dr. Pairat Srichana, the company also sees the commercialization of insect-based protein as a sustainable alternative food source that “offers great opportunities for the circular economy as insects can effectively contribute to the recycling of bio-waste”.
“We believe the black soldier fly is [one of the most] sustainable choices for alternative sources of protein and fat, he said.
“[As such]We hope to be able to produce a traceable and value-adding insect protein [via this partnership with Chiang Mai University which] will pave the way for a sustainable and profitable insect industry in Thailand. “.
Vietnam has also recently made advances in the edible insect industry by becoming the fifth country (after Canada, Switzerland, South Korea and Thailand) to be approved to export insect-based foods to the European Union (EU).
“Vietnam has provided the European Commission with sufficient evidence and guarantees to be included on the list of third countries or regions allowed to allow insect consignments to enter the EU,” the EU said when it officially issued the permit earlier this year.
Given that the EU is currently one of the larger markets for insect-based food, it is expected that such an achievement will give the local sector a significant boost.
Modernization of a traditional industry.
Industry general opinion and the recent edible insect movement also tend to “modernize” the insect industry or convert this traditional food source into tastier, more acceptable formats for the modern consumer that are less obtrusive than a whole insect.
Even Vietnam, which has a long history of insect consumption, has taken this step towards modernization in recent years. Firms like CricketOne have developed more modern versions of insect-based products like cricket-based burger patties, with Japan as a primary focus on export market.
“Eating insects is part of the culture in many Asian countries – [but] There was a lack of food innovation here to make insect food mainstream. This has become increasingly common in Asia over the past few years, ”said Nam Dang, Co-Founder of CricketOne.
Some other players in the Southeast Asian region, such as Ento of Malaysia, are also focusing on using insect-based protein to make burger patties. Kevin Wu, CEO of Ento, also told us that consumers like those in Malaysia are less likely to accept snacks or whole insect products and that a “proteinization strategy” – the use of insect protein in products like cereal or biscuits – is needed to increase acceptance Reach consumers.
“When we first launched the toasted snack products, we found that maybe only three out of ten people were willing to try them, let alone buy them [so we] listened to consumer feedback to get more products to mass market and focused on powdered formats, ”he said.
“This means that we ‘proteinised’ regular products with cricket powder to increase the protein content. [and since then] We have seen that at least seven out of ten consumers are willing to at least try these out, so acceptance has definitely increased. “
Singapore’s Altimate Nutrition, on the other hand, is well on its way to launching the country’s first cricket protein bars and is awaiting approval from the Singapore Food Agency to begin production and sales. The company is also leveraging the sustainable and nutritional benefits of insect proteins to drive sales in Singapore, and hopes this will help overcome the local consumer stigma against insect use.
