There has been a lot of press, both positive and negative, about a recent United Nations report in which scientists recommended that we start eating insects to fight world hunger.
But the other U.N. recommendation—that farmers should consider feeding insects to poultry and aquacultured fish—did not garner nearly as much attention, despite seeming more feasible. After all, when given the opportunity, fish and chickens readily eat insects. And there is no shortage of literature on their high nutritional value and ease of breeding. But if feeding insects to animals presents so many advantages, why aren’t we doing it already?
One reason has been processing cost. Currently, protein from mealworms (beetle larvae commonly fed to animals, including pets) is 51 times as expensive as soy protein, according to a 2012 study by Dutch researchers from Wageningen University and Research Center. The study concluded that, to be competitive, the cost of mealworms would have to decrease by at least 95 percent. The scientists explained this difference in price by pointing to the low levels of automation and mechanization in insect-rearing procedures.
“Some of the folks trying to grow insects at an industrial scale haven’t found a way to produce insect-based feeds at a cost that competes with conventional feed producers,” says Glen Courtright, president of Enviroflight, one of a handful of companies that manufacture insect-based feeds worldwide. The company, located in Ohio and founded in 2009, seems to have found a way to compete with makers of conventional feed: it sells many different types of insect feeds to a few companies in the aquaculture industry, most of which are made from black soldier fly larvae. Courtright declined to reveal how his company manages to keep its production costs down.
The other big obstacle to producing insect-based feeds has been the fear of spreading disease. Feed insects do not tend to carry pathogens that are intrinsically dangerous to humans, but when they are fed manure or reared in unsanitary conditions, they can become vectors for bacterial disease that they can transmit to pigs, chickens and, subsequently, humans.
Enviroflight avoids this risk by not feeding their flies animal manure or table scraps. “We wouldn’t touch manure with a 10-foot pole,” Courtright says. Rather, the company feeds its larvae brewer’s grains, a by-product of alcohol production it gets from local breweries.
The advantages of insect-based feeds might soon push other feed producers to join Enviroflight’s mission to create sustainable animal nutrient alternatives.
The Latest Bing News on:
Feeding insects to poultry and aquacultured fish
- Addressing innovative and sustainable supply chains at VIV Europeon May 10, 2022 at 11:09 pm
Other sessions will provide content on various topics, such as insects as feed, dairy farming, food waste management, contamination prevention in feed supply, automation for fresh poultry packaging, ...
- Question: Is there any risk of becoming infected with avian influenza virus by feeding backyard birds?on May 10, 2022 at 10:24 am
Therefore, we recommend that people without backyard poultry who feed birds routinely ... Indiana Department of Natural Resources (IN DNR) – Fish and Wildlife, Avian Flu: What is the risk to people?
- To meet global food demand, aquaculture needs more policy support and researchon May 10, 2022 at 4:49 am
Aquaculture is a major pillar in global food security. But given constraints on the availability of land and water for producing fish feed, more tech innovation and policy support is need.
- Study explores how Nigeria can achieve its fish production targeton May 6, 2022 at 8:44 am
Researchers have analyzed how Nigeria can achieve its target of producing 2.5 million metric tons of farmed fish annually, and believe their work could provide similar insights in other countries.
- New York State Poultry Farmers Protect their Flocks Amid HPAI Outbreakon May 4, 2022 at 5:10 am
Confirmed wild bird cases are listed on the USDA website and shown on the U.S. Geological Survey map. New York poultry farmers are protecting their farms by using biosecurity plans and instructions ...
- Insects’ key role as food and feedon April 28, 2022 at 1:29 pm
O’Connor said that with the exception of aquaculture, where seven insect species could be used to feed fish, any animal protein ... inclusion in both pig and poultry feedstuffs.
- Black soldier fly farmer Inseco raises $5.3m in South Africa’s ‘largest-ever seed round’on April 27, 2022 at 1:00 am
Inseco is raising black soldier fly on organic byproducts such as food waste, before converting them into proteins and oils for use in animal feed.
- South African insect protein plant raises R81.6 million in seed funding roundon April 21, 2022 at 11:33 pm
Insect products are high in nutrients and, because the process sees the maggots fed with waste, is seen as a climate-friendly way of feeding farmed fish ... feed for poultry and aquaculture.
- South African maggot plant raises R81.6 millionon April 21, 2022 at 10:34 pm
Insect products are high in nutrients and, because the process sees the maggots fed with waste, is seen as a climate-friendly way of feeding farmed fish ... feed for poultry and aquaculture.
- Feature: Insects, a cheap and sustainable protein alternative for stockfeedson April 19, 2022 at 5:00 pm
UKaid in Zimbabwe has been funding efforts towards the production of black soldier fly larvae as a low-cost intervention to support poultry, fish ... insects convert the manure and excess feed ...
The Latest Google Headlines on:
Feeding insects to poultry and aquacultured fish
The Latest Bing News on:
Insect-based feeds
- Insect protein startup raises $30-mln investmenton May 11, 2022 at 7:33 am
Biotech company Entobel has raised US$30 million from Vietnamese private equity firm Mekong Capital and asset manager Dragon Capital.
- Insect Protein Market: Meticulous Research® Reveals Why the Market is Expected to Reach $9.46 Billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 28.4%on May 10, 2022 at 8:09 am
In recent years, there has been a significant increase in the demand for high-quality meat products in emerging economies of Southeast Asia, the Middle ...
- Can insect protein replace soya beans in pig diets?on May 8, 2022 at 4:20 pm
Soya bean is often cited as one of the key contributors of greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) from pig farms. With all livestock sectors now facing moral- ...
- Overhaul ‘outdated’ laws and allow insects to be fed to pigs and chickens, Tesco boss sayson May 8, 2022 at 7:53 am
Plus: From insect feed to vertical farms - we need a bonfire of red tape ... on a monitoring system that uses birdsong as a science-based biodiversity indicator in grassland farming. Tesco has asked ...
- Kenya: Give Edible Insects a Chance As an Alternative High-Quality Protein Source, Say Scientistson May 7, 2022 at 9:26 am
Growing up in Samoya Village of Bungoma County in the Western part of Kenya, Elvis Wanjala has fond childhood memories of the rainy season, chasing and catching black-bellied winged termites in the ...
- Is insect porridge the answer to malnutrition in Africa?on May 6, 2022 at 7:31 am
Low-nutrient African porridge could be fortified with amaranth and cricket to make it micronutrient-rich to tackle malnutrition in infants, a study suggests.
- Give Edible Insects a Chance as an Alternative High-Quality Protein Source, say Scientistson May 6, 2022 at 2:34 am
Crickets need six times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep, and half as much as pigs and broiler chickens to produce the same amount of protein. Additionally, insect-based products are ...
- Insect-based Pet Food Market 2022 | Scope of Current and Future Industry 2031on May 5, 2022 at 4:18 pm
The main goal of the clean label movement is to maintain consumer trust in food and feed goods. The demand for clean label goods has grown as people have become more aware of insect-based pet food and ...
- Why insects could be the future of pet foodon May 1, 2022 at 5:20 pm
PetGood’s local farming partner, for example, buys ageing fruit and vegetables from local supermarkets, as well as waste from breweries and bakeries, and turns that waste into insect feed. PetGood is ...
- What’s All the Buzz About Edible Insects?on April 30, 2022 at 5:00 pm
This column offers information about the nutritional and environmental benefits of edible insects as a protein source, along with safety and legal considerations.