'Approaching Ecological Sustainability in the
Emerging Insects-as-Food Industry' by
Åsa Berggren, Anna Jansson and Matthew Low in (2019)
Trends in Ecology and; Evolution comments
The emerging insects-as-food industry is increasingly promoted as a sustainable alternative to other animal protein production systems. However, the exact
nature of its environmental benefits are uncertain because of the overwhelming
lack of knowledge concerning almost every aspect of production: from suitable
species, their housing and feed requirements, and potential for accidental
release. If ecological sustainability is to be a hallmark of mass insect rearing
for consumption, ecologists need to engage in research related to sustainability
criteria that are directly linked to key elements of the development of the
industry. There is more to this subject than simply comparing feed-conversion
ratios (FCRs) of insects to traditional livestock production, and we highlight
areas where research needs to be immediately focused.
The Emerging Insects-as-Food Industry
As the global appetite for animal protein increases, we need new approaches for its production
if we want to avoid further biodiversity losses and environmental degradation (e.g., sustainable
intensification of agriculture). One idea that is gaining increasing attention is growing insects for
mass consumption. Aside from the curiosity value of eating insects (at least from a western
perspective), the main reasons why insect mass rearing is being taken seriously is the nutritional value
of the insects and their resource efficiency when converting organic matter into protein. It is this efficiency that has sparked the most interest, with it having major implications for the
economics and environmental sustainability of this fledging industry (especially relative to many
livestock systems).However,for insect rearing to have a noticeable impact on the sustainability
of worldwide protein production, mass intensive rearing will be needed at levels dwarfing the current
wild-harvest and small-scale production. It is in the details of this upscaling of production that the true
environmental impact of this industry will be largely determined. While it is true that insects may offer
significantly better FCRs and a smaller land-use footprint compared to traditional livestock systems, this does not guarantee that the insects-as-food industry will be environmentally friendly. It is now, during inception of the industry, that critical discussions about sustainability need to be
undertaken and initiation of the science needed to identify the factors driving its environmental
impacts. Otherwise we risk creating an industry that replaces one environmental problem with
another (e.g., as occurred with biofuel). Thus, our aim in this paper is not to provide a
comprehensive review of the state of the industry (for that see), but rather to highlight a number
of pressing issues related to sustainability where ecologists can be at the forefront of discussions and
research about this production system. From this, we suggest priority areas where research
attention is needed if we want evidence-based decisions to drive policy and industry development
towards environmental sustainability goals.
