Today, current dietary patterns highly rely on meat, dairy and fish products due to their unique nutritional profile, as certain proteins, vitamins and fats are only present in these products. Together, they contribute to 37% of the global protein intake. However, these traditional dietary patterns currently generate a negative environmental impact by using 83% of the world’s farmland and contributing to generate 58% of food production-related GHG emissions[1]. This situation is extremally worrying for meat products, as livestock alone is responsible for 15.4% of total GHG emissions globally.
[1] European of Journal Nutrition (2024). Meeting the global protein supply requirements of a growing and ageing population. Link.
According to the United Nations, the global population is expected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, an increase of 2 billion people from 2019 levels. To meet these fast-growing feed requirements, food production will need to increase by around 60 % (World Resources Institute estimation)[1]. This requisite for food production would require 593 million additional hectares of agricultural farmland to meet this demand, which is far from being a sustainable solution considering the current environmental impact of our current food systems. Therefore, the question is…how would we be able to cover the growing food demand without damaging the environment?
[1] EIT Food (2019). Sustainably feeding the world in 2050: Are efficiency and equity the answer? Link.
Insects arise as a sustainable alternative to current dietary patterns
On October 23rd we celebrated the World Edible Insects Day. According to The Food and Agriculture organization of the United nations (FAO), +1,900 species of insects are edible, and they are a promising source of proteins with nutritional quality comparable to some meat-based proteins but with lower environmental footprint. With a high protein content up to 76%, insects are a potential alternative to traditional sources of animal protein as on average, insects provide 9 more times the amount of protein compared to beef [1],[2]. Moreover, insects provide unsaturated fatty acids (e.g., mealworms fatty acids composition is comparable to that found in fish and higher than that in pig and cattle).
[1] Lisboa et al., (2024). Unlocking the Potential of Insect-Based Proteins: Sustainable Solutions for Global Food Security and Nutrition. Link.
[2] Next Food (2018). The breeding of edible insects compared to the production of meat. Link.
Regarding the environmental impact, insect farming could potentially provide the following benefits when compared to livestock:
- Less land is required: insect farming requires far less land than livestock. The land required per 1 g of protein in insect farming is 18 m2 whereas 1 g of protein from cattle requires 254 m2 of land[1]. Therefore, insect farming could save up to 90% of land.
- Less water consumption is required: insect larvae use much less water than livestock-based products. Where 1 kg of beef production consumes 22,000 L of water, 1 kg of edible insect protein needs 1L-10L of water[2].
- Insects have higher conversion efficiency: insects provide a higher feed conversion rate into protein when compared to livestock. For instance, crickets require only 2 kg of feed per 1 kg of protein. Therefore, insects generally require far less feed, as cattle, for example, require 10 kg of feed per 1 kg of live animal weight. This means that crickets 12 times more efficient than cattle regarding protein conversion efficiency[3].
- Insects can be fed with waste: edible insects can be fed with waste (e.g., organic food waste), contributing to reduce current food waste (estimated in 59Mt annually in the EU[4]). It is estimated that using 50 % of available food waste as feed for insects, 1.5 Mt of insect proteins in the EU could be produced in 2030, contributing to integrate circular economy practices in our society[5].
However, despite being a promising alternative to solve the problem on how to feed a growing population in a sustainable way, yet insect farming technologies, regulatory as well as consumer acceptance related barriers need to be overcome in the upcoming years before edible insect consumption is fully integrated in our diets.
[1] Statista (2018). Farmland required per gram of protein in livestock vs. insect farming as of 2018, by species. Link.
[2] Kowalski, Arkadiusz (2024). Method of Planning and Scheduling the Production Process of Yellow Mealworm Larvae for a Small Enterprise. Link.
[3] Wageningen UR (2013). Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security. Link.
[4] European Commission (2024). About Food Waste. Link.
[5] Elleby et al., (2022). Insects Reared on Food Waste: A Game Changer for Global Agricultural Feed Markets?. Link.
About LIKE-A-PRO
The LIKE-A-PRO project (No. 101083961), funded by the European Union under the topic “HORIZON-CL6-2022-FARM2FORK-01-07” aim to facilitate sustainable and healthy diets by shifting promising alternative proteins and products from niche to mainstream from 7 promising alternative protein sources.
The project brings together 41 partners, who are key representatives along the entire alternative protein value chain (protein producers, ingredient & product developers, culinary centres, and food clusters), scientists and market & communication experts in a trans-disciplinary consortium from 17 countries coordinated by the technological centre CNTA.