Alternative Proteins Magazine ISSUE FOCUS 46 October 2025 and labor costs, the sector has seen several market leaders filing for bankruptcy despite investments that numbered in the hundreds of millions of euros, while other companies across France, Denmark and the Netherlands have faced economic difficulties. This suggests that the problem may not be limited to just one company, one choice of insect, or one business model, but extends to the whole sector. Insect meal currently retails at around 3800-6000 USD, and might go as low as 1600–2700 USD by 2030 according to some projections (de Jong & Nikolik, 2021). That would still put insect meal at a much higher price than the projected price of fishmeal, and that of soymeal. While the use of low-cost food waste, combined with high retail prices for insect co-products, may be profitable, it has been deemed unrealistic for mass production in the largest study on the economics of industrial insect production in the Netherlands (Leipertz et al., 2024). As evoked earlier, relying on food waste would induce other costs that can offset any gains. IS CIRCULAR INSECT PRODUCTION GOOD FOR THE ANIMALS? From an animal welfare perspective, incorporating food waste in insects’ diets, and waste-fed insects in other animals’ diets might not be the best solution. While some studies suggest insect protein may be beneficial for some farm animals, the effect of wastefed insects in farm animals’ diets has been understudied and a precautionary approach is needed. On insect welfare, a growing body of evidence suggests that insects, like many other invertebrates, may be sentient and feel pain (Gibbons et al., 2022). The question of insect welfare, recognised by industry representatives (IPIFF, 2019), extends to insect diets and their effect on their well-being. Just like improper feed may be detrimental to a farmed cow, improper feed may be detrimental to farmed insects. While some insects may be able to digest several forms of waste streams, others, such as the yellow mealworm and the house cricket, two of the most farmed insects in Europe, need high quality ingredients to grow and remain healthy (Billen et al., 2020). Crickets were shown to experience a 99% mortality rate when fed on municipal-grade waste (Lundy and Parrella, 2015). Waste streams may also lack essential properties for insect farming, such as having a sufficient solidity for yellow mealworms. Even Black Soldier Flies are not immune to these challenges, as rearing them on manure was shown to hinder their survival (Miranda et al., 2020). In general, the inconsistency and variability of food waste make using it as insect substrate hazardous in terms of welfare. Eurogroup for Animals recently published a report on insect diets and welfare, showing “a need for further research on insects’ Photo: Šárka Krňávková
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