Insect Farming Turns Food Waste Into Animal Feed

Efforts to use insects for processing food waste into animal feed have expanded, with multiple organizations and companies developing new technologies and approaches to scale up this method.

Black soldier fly larvae are commonly used in insect farming to transform discarded food into protein-rich feed for livestock. This approach has been adopted by several companies and research teams seeking to address both food waste and protein supply for animal agriculture.

Researchers at the University of Kent introduced a bio-conversion unit designed to produce black soldier fly larvae at industrial scale, utilizing farm food waste as the primary input. According to research findings, the larvae produced in this system provided a high-quality protein source suitable for animal feed.

In Bangkok, Full Circle Biotechnology rears black soldier fly larvae on fruit and vegetable waste, producing feed for shrimp and pig farms. The company stated that its insect-based feed contains up to 70% protein and reports a carbon footprint far lower than that of conventional soymeal.

What the numbers show

• Entocycle received £10 million in UK government funding for a facility processing 33,000 tonnes of food waste per year
• Flybox’s modular farms can process 12-18 tonnes of food waste monthly
• Better Origin’s X1 system processes food waste into larvae in 7-14 days

Better Origin launched the X1, a modular insect farm that uses artificial intelligence to manage the conversion of local food waste into animal feed within a shipping-container format. The company stated that the system oversees feeding and growth of larvae over a period of one to two weeks.

Flybox developed shipping-container insect farms capable of handling up to 18 tonnes of food waste each month. The company reported that its larvae output is used for animal feed, while the remaining frass byproduct serves as a natural fertilizer.

Entocycle received government funding in the United Kingdom to build a facility designed to raise black soldier flies on food waste. According to available information, this plant is capable of processing tens of thousands of tonnes of waste annually to produce insect protein for animal feed.

AgriProtein, a British biotechnology company, previously used insects to convert food waste into animal feed and other products. The company entered administration in early 2021 after operating in the sector for several years.

* This article is based on publicly available information at the time of writing.