Professor Arnold van Huis is a Dutch entomologist who supports the idea of humans eating insects, a practice called entomophagism. He recently sat down with the European Science Media Centre to share the potential benefits of farming and eating insects, as well as the prospects for the emerging insect industry.

01 Why is it important to pay attention to meat and protein alternatives?

Nearly 80 percent of agricultural land is occupied by livestock, but they provide less than 20 percent of the world's heat supply. As the population grows, the demand for meat and more land will continue to increase, so we need to find alternative sources of protein. In addition, meat production puts a huge strain on the environment: livestock is responsible for 15% of global greenhouse gas emissions and two-thirds of ammonia emissions. We have to change the way we get protein! - Arnold van Huis Insect protein has some advantages as an alternative protein. First, insect protein production has relatively little impact on the environment. Production of insect protein requires less land and water than traditional meat production. Secondly, the production of insect protein can also reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Compared to traditional meat production, the environmental impact of insect protein is similar to that of free-range poultry.

02 Is it more environmentally friendly to produce alternative proteins?

Arnold van Huis points out that alternatives to traditional proteins include insect proteins, cultured meat and plant-based replacement proteins. He focuses on insect proteins, which currently account for about 5-10% of the market, mainly for animal feed and pet food. The environmental impact of producing insect protein is similar to that of free-range poultry in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Beef has the greatest environmental impact, requiring ten times more land and six times more water to extract the same amount of edible protein in conventional meat production than insect protein.

03 Are insect proteins beneficial to human health?

From a nutritional point of view, insect protein is comparable to meat products. An added benefit of insects is the positive health effects, such as the chitin in insect exoskeletons that seems to stimulate the immune system, which is beneficial to both humans and animals. Arnold Van Hess calls it "the insect protein equivalent to meat products."

In addition to its nutritional value, insect protein has some additional benefits. For example, chitin in insect exoskeletons is thought to have a stimulating effect on the immune system, which is beneficial to the health of both humans and animals. This may help boost immune function and fight disease.

Even if some people are allergic to them, especially those who are allergic to egg whites, this can be addressed through clear product labeling.

04 How are insects used in animal feed?

Arnold van Huis says insects are used in pet food, such as dogs and cats, and in animal feed, including poultry and pigs. He stressed the importance of using insects to replace fishmeal or soy as an animal feed ingredient, noting that the price of insect protein is already comparable to fishmeal, but still slightly less than soybean meal.

05 How is the development of the insect industry?

Arnold van Huis noted that annual investment in the global insect industry reaches 1 billion euros and is expected to double by 2030. Large companies such as France's Y nsect and InnovaFeed are working on breeding and processing insects such as yellow mealworm and Molitor mealworm to produce high-quality raw materials for use in animal feed and agricultural organic fertilizers.

In 2023, Chinese insect producer Shanxi Dingxin Biotechnology Co. The company mainly extracts ingredients from yellow mealworm larvae, produces edible yellow mealworm dried, yellow mealworm defatted protein powder and yellow mealworm oil, feed yellow mealworm dried and worm meal.

In order to further develop the insect industry, more investment and innovation in automation, machinery and technology are needed. This will help improve production efficiency, reduce costs, and drive the market competitiveness of insect proteins. As technology advances, we can expect the insect industry to develop more innovative solutions in the future to meet the growing demand.

06 Are European consumers ready to try eating insects? And how to overcome their hesitation?

One way Arnold van Huis suggests is to mask the use of insects in some way, such as by applying insect proteins to human food to replace soy. This avoids the psychological barrier for consumers to associate the final food with the insect.

This can be achieved by gaining some celebrity recognition, such as showcasing insect ingredients on popular TV cooking shows. This approach can help change consumer attitudes, especially when it comes to dietary choices, where people may be more conservative.

07 How can insect proteins be used to contribute to environmental goals more broadly?

In addition to the previously mentioned benefits, yellow mealworms can also use organic by-products as food, converting organic waste into high-value protein products. This practice has huge environmental advantages and is good for the environment. Arnold van Huis.

Despite current EU regulations on the use of insect waste, Arnold van Huis points out that there could be a huge opportunity to boost its value and use for protein production, although it will take time to change the regulations.

Although insect proteins are rapidly gaining ground in the animal feed market, Arnold van Huis finds it difficult to predict how fast the market for insects in human food will develop, because it depends on consumer attitudes. He believes that although people already have a certain understanding of insect food, it will take time to integrate it into various foods.