INTERVIEW 52 Alternative Proteins Magazine October 2025 ue, since it is a highly digestible, hypoallergenic source of protein and lipids. It is also valued for its inherent sustainability as it meets growing consumer demand for environmentally responsible pet care products. Overall, by focusing on education and strategic market development, insect protein can deliver tangible benefits across the entire food system. Outside of Europe, where do you see the greatest opportunities for insect protein? In Asia, Africa, or the Americas? How can IPIFF encourage international collaboration in this sector? We see significant opportunities in all three regions, but for different reasons: • Asia: Offers massive market scale, strong government support (e.g., China, Singapore, Thailand), and in many areas, a cultural precedent for eating insects. • North America: Has a dynamic tech and investment ecosystem, a strong pet food industry, and consumers who are early adopters of novel food trends. • Africa: Presents an opportunity for local, lowtech insect farming to address malnutrition and create circular economies at the community level, using local organic waste. As mentioned above, IPIFF is working closely with its counterpart organizations representing different continents to encourage international collaboration. We value knowledge exchange via facilitating dialogues between EU and international regulators to harmonise standards and share best practices and global advocacy, representing the global insect sector in international forums like FAO and CODEX to promote the role of insects in global food security. In your opinion, what will be the biggest opportunities and challenges facing the insect protein industry over the next five years, and what advice would you give to the alternative proteins sector in general? Our sector is poised for transformative growth, driven by three powerful opportunities: • Regulatory Tailwinds: The EU Protein Strategy and a global push for protein self-sufficiency are creating an unprecedented policy environment for sustainable solutions. • Market Expansion: We are on the verge of unlocking massive new markets. Key developments include authorising a wider range of feeding substrates, approving insect frass as a certified organic fertilizer across the EU, and exploring its potential in biogas production and for export. • Technological Leap: Next-generation production systems are emerging, focusing on greater automation and energy efficiency to dramatically improve scalability and reduce costs. The Central Challenge is achieving Cost-Parity but with the right policies, can be easily and swiftly achieved. While the momentum is strong, achieving cost-competitiveness with conventional proteins remains our primary obstacle. We view recent EU initiatives to promote sustain- Photo: IPIFF
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