Alternative Proteins Magazine ISSUE FOCUS October 2025 25 gens which, when coupled with large headcount in confined spaces, leads to the swift spread of disease. Aquaculture also faces economic and environmental pressure. Open-net pen fish farming leads to water pollution, disease, and parasite outbreaks. This pollution threatens already fragile aquatic ecosystems and fish farms are facing ever-growing pressures from local populations who want the farms removed. The aquaculture and agriculture feed industries rely heavily on wild forage fish stocks rendered into fishmeal and fish oil ingredients. Across our oceans these forage fisheries are reaching or have reached their sustainable limits, resulting in rapidly declining wild stocks. Governments around the world, including Canada, Norway, and the UK, have begun to recognize the problem and are setting strict limits on catch quotas for forage fish, such as mackerel, sardines, herring, anchovies, and menhaden. This scarcity creates economic insecurity, driving up ingredient prices and fueling uncertainty for feed producers. The rise in consumer health awareness is not simply human-focused, it extends to our pets also. Historically, this sector has relied heavily on beef, lamb, chicken, and fish, all of which come at a high environmental cost, and exposure to fluctuating availability and price. Animal-based feed tends to be higher in saturated fat, which may contribute to pet obesity and other health problems, including allergies and intolerance to meat-based protein. The search for an innovative, cost-effective solution is more than a fleeting trend. Collectively, these challenges are forcing the pet food, agriculture, and aquaculture feed industries to shift toward forward-thinking solutions to improve resource efficiency, reduce environmental impact, and drive economic prosperity. BSFL: ECONOMIC AND NUTRITIONAL POWERHOUSE By design, circular economies are more efficient, restorative systems. They seek to minimize environmental harm, while nurturing continued economic growth and resource resilience. For a circular economy to succeed, it needs to redirect wastes and by-products, revitalise natural ecosystems, and keep products and materials in use at their highest value for as long as possible. There are several varieties of alternative protein sources available today: • Plant-based proteins, such as pea or soy, are derived entirely from plant sources. • Cultivated proteins, also known as cultivated meat, are real animal proteins produced by growing animal cells in a controlled, laboratory environment, independent of the living animal. • Fungi, including yeasts, mushrooms, and molds, are organisms found on land, while microalgae are organisms found in freshwater and marine environments. • Insect protein is derived from insects, such as black soldier fly larvae. Alternative proteins, such as the BSFL, are uniquely equipped to reduce the environmental footprint of food production. Photo: Courtesy of Oberland
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