Call for contributions to DEFRA and Novel Food seminar
|
|
DEFRA taking interest in insect farming
|
|
Two urgent requests to help us to help you!
|
|
1. Woven Network is being consulted by a number of parts of DEFRA to support Government policy development in relation to sustainable food. It is very encouraging that we can give the sector some visibility and represent it. In order to ensure that we can best represent the sector, we are collating evidence of its scale, academic, and other activity in the UK and globally, and the growth of the UK market for farmed insect material.
We would be very interested to hear from anyone able to contribute evidence, share data on the activities and size of their business, and innovations being made in the sector. Please send this to news@woven-network.co.uk by 31 December 2019.
|
|
2. We have drawn up this list of companies that we know about:
| FERA Science |
www.fera.com |
Research and commercialisation (Feed) |
| Flyr |
www.flyr.com |
Consultant (Feed) |
| Entocycle |
www.entocycle.com |
Farm (Feed) |
| Entomics |
www.entomics.com |
Farm (Feed) |
| Multibox |
www.multibox.farm |
Farm (Feed) |
| The Cricket Hop Co |
www.crickethop.com |
Farm (Food) |
| Green Bee Entomology |
www.greenbeeento.co.uk |
Farm (Food) |
| Horizon Insects |
www.horizoninsects.co.uk |
Farm (Food) |
| Insect Technology Group |
https://insecttechnologygroup.com |
Farming technology (Feed) |
| Instar Farming |
www.instarfarming.com |
Farm (Food) |
| Mini Feasts |
www.minifeasts.co.uk |
Farm (Food) |
| Six Legs Farm |
www.sixlegsfarm.co.uk |
Farm (Food) |
| Bugfarm Foods |
www.bugfarmfoods.com |
Food manufacturer |
| Crické Food |
www.crickefood.com |
Food manufacturer |
| Earth and me |
www.earthandme.co.uk |
Food manufacturer |
| Eat Grub |
www.eatgrub.co.uk |
Food manufacturer |
| Hop Bar |
www.hopbar.co.uk |
Food manufacturer |
| Krick8 |
www.kric8.co.uk |
Food manufacturer |
| Nutribug |
www.nutribug.com |
Food manufacturer |
| Yumpa |
www.yumpabar.com |
Food manufacturer |
| Woven Network |
www.woven-network.co.uk |
Industry Organisation |
| Monkfield |
www.monkfieldnutrition.co.uk |
Pet food manufacturer |
| Yora Pet Foods |
www.yorapetfoods.com |
Pet food manufacturer |
| The Grub Kitchen |
www.grubkitchen.co.uk |
Restaurant |
| Cruchy Critters |
www.crunchycritters.com |
Shop |
| Future Food Shop |
www.futurefoodshop.com |
Shop |
|
|
If your organisation is not on the list and want it to be added, please email news@woven-network.co.uk with:
- name
- organisation
- role/position
- what you are doing or could do in relation to insect protein
- contact details - email, phone number
- location (we aim to create a simple map showing where everyone is located).
- Category - food/feed farmers, product or technology developers business, other business, academic (see categories below), other (please specify)
Regarding those in academia, we see the following categories:
- those whose core research is related to insect protein in some way
- those who have done or are doing a project relating to this as part of another area
- those who think they have some expertise or would like to get involved in research into this
- students who have been introduced to this area through their course and would be interested in taking it further.
|
|
Westminster Seminar on Novel Food
|
|
We have also been invited to contribute to a panel as part of the Westminster Seminar Series. A half-day event on 16 January 2020 will focus on Novel Food regulations. This is very relevant to those working in the insects for food sector, because the EU Novel Food regulations will apply until BREXIT, then afterwards may be different in the UK, but still relevant to exporters to the EU.
We are keen to hear from anyone with a view or personal experience regarding this to help us develop our understanding what effect Novel Food regulations are having, or are expected to have in the future.
Once we have gathered this evidence, we will also arrange a discussion with full Woven Members about the key messages that they would like us to take to the event. We will also write a short briefing note that will be circulated to interested Government Officials, etc. by the organisers.
Please send your submissions of evidence, opinion or experience to nick.rousseau@woven-network.co.uk by 31 December 2019.
|
|
Nuffield Farming Scholarship Report
|
|
A Nuffield Farming Scholarship report by Adam Banks, published recently, explores the opportunities and challenges for farming insects for food in the UK. Through meetings with academics, entrepreneurs and industry organisations around the world he has built up a picture of the current state of the sector and proposes ideas about what the future might hold. There is mounting evidence that a diet enriched with insects may be beneficial for health and the environment. Although Western dietary prejudices are difficult to overcome, a recent YouGov survey found that a third of Britons expected insect consumption to be commonplace by 2029 and this mirrors industry forecasts, which predict strong growth for the sector over the next decade.
Despite the number of companies around the world that are rearing insects for human consumption is increasing rapidly, almost all insect-based food products sold in the UK contain insects which are imported from North America, South East Asia or other European countries. There appears to be a good opportunity for local producers to command an increased domestic market share. The sector should further benefit from new EU novel food legislation which has specific provisions for insects. Although disruptive in the short term, these regulations, which are explored in detail in the report, will serve to increase safety standards and public confidence going forward.
Despite this optimistic outlook there are still significant technical hurdles to overcome, a lack of automation means labour costs are high and efficiency is further reduced by the small scale of most farming operations. Furthermore, large European insect producers have lobbied successfully for favourable policy changes in Brussel. Outside the European Union, the UK stands to fall further behind its European competitors without similar support.
The report concludes that insect agriculture has the potential to help the UK achieve the goals of a future national food strategy and that government support will be essential to create an environment in which the sector can thrive.
The full report can be accessed here: https://www.nuffieldinternational.org/live/Report/UK/2018/adam-banks
|
|
|
ENTOTRUST offers voluntary insect-food certification. It is an independent and science-based organisation established in 2018, which allows producers to assess their food safety and sustainability. ENTOTRUST mission is to recognise quality insect farmers and products. Nudging the people decision when buying new alternative food and working with the stakeholder’s network to improve the scientific knowledge and best practices. The ENTOTRUST certification program envisions a world where edible insects will supply healthy food, making high value proteins accessible to a wider population with important environmental and social benefits.
|
|
|
The Entotrust certification program has been developed to support quality producers, with the main purpose to reinforce their message of good food and sustainable alternative proteins.
|
|
The insect food sector is steadily growing. Besides the narrative of lower impact protein sources, an Entotrust certification confirms that there have been no compromises on quality, and sustainability has been measured.
The value for the food manufacturer is to have a scientific third-party recognition of the know-how, food safety and low environmental footprint that can be communicated effectively on product packaging. This constitutes transparency and differentiation, which builds loyalty and brand value.
The Entotrust voluntary program assessment takes into account established international food standards enriched by insect food specificities, developed with the contribution of safety experts, scientists, producers and farmers. The 3 steps process goes through product laboratory analysis; the audit of operations; the evaluation of environmental footprint (e.g. GHGE greenhouse gas emissions) and social fairness.
A more comprehensive explanation of what Entotrust certification involves and offers is available to download here from the Woven-Network Website
|
|
Insect farming is growing across Sub Saharan Africa. On 14-16 August 2019 there was the First African Conference on Edible Insects - on innovations, research and development on edible insects for transformation of livelihoods in Africa - in Harare, Zimbabwe
#EdibleInsectsAfrica Programme and abstracts:
If you are interested in finding partners in Africa, do get in touch as Innovate UK are offering funding for Agriculture related collaborations with Africa and Woven-Network can provide introductions.
|
|
Rural Development Programme for England
Applications are now open for the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EARFD) Grant Fund. You could be eligible if your business is carrying out a project to create jobs or bring more money into the rural economy. Businesses can apply for grants for projects in food processing (£20k – £750k), rural business development (£20k – £175k) or rural tourism infrastructure (£20k – £175k). The deadline for expressions of interest is midnight on 16 February 2020. You can find out more here.
|
|
UAE Foodtech Challenge
Tamkeen LLC in partnership with the Ministry of Food Security in the UAE have just launched the UAE FoodTech Challenge - a global business case competition. It invites applications for technologically-driven, sustainable, and viable solutions to advance food security in the UAE. The competition is open to anyone, but applications before 13 February 20 are sought particularly from start-ups in food and agriculture technologies. Four winning teams will win a total of $1M USD, including access to seed funding and investors in the UAE. You can find out more here.
|
|
Algenex, Madrid have sought regulatory approval from the European Medicines Authority for a vaccine raised inside pupae of Trichoplusia ni (cabbage looper moth). A genetically modified baculovirus infects pupal cells that then express proteins that may be extracted from purified tissue. The 2 cm pupae last 4-13 days at 32-20 °C respectively and may be stored during this time. Scaling up production requires only that more pupae be used. For an oral vaccine for an insect eating animal, the pupae could be incorporated in feed.
|
|
|
Fucibo, Italy have announced they will be selling pasta, chips (crisps), and crackers made from insect flour early in 2020. Made from insect flour pasta, 19%* whole protein, the website does not declare if the flour is for sale too, nor what proportion of the flour is derived from insects. Also from the website; “the insect flours used in these products are supplied by the largest and most reliable European manufacturer,” and are “100% made in Italy.” UK strong bread flour can have 12-15% protein.
|
|
Gourmet Grubb, a South Africa-based start-up company has introduced ice creams made from insects using EntoMilk, made from larvae of the black solider fly. There are three flavours: chocolate, peanut butter and Christmas spices. The nutrients in the components, the composition of the ice cream and the story of the company appear on the website. At present, the ice creams are available only in South Africa.
|
|
Following a whole programme on Multibox in December 2018, insect farming was featured as the middle item, 4:30 minutes into BBC Farming Today 11 Dec 19.
|
|
The piece began with Monkfield Nutrition, Ely raising crickets and locusts to feed reptiles. Mark Ramsden from ADAS was then interviewed, followed by Entomics, Cambridge with black soldier fly raised on food waste.
|
|
|
‘I’m a celebrity’ ends eating live animals
At the end of his acceptance speech for ‘Best Factual Show’ at the TV Choice awards in September, Chris Packham congratulated ‘I’m a celebrity, get me out of here’ for their own success, but asked them ‘please stop abusing animals on your programme.’
In an open letter to Ant and Dec, Chris Packham objected to some animals being portrayed as stereotypes that are dangerous or repulsive, and that they were exploited and abused for entertainment. Insects such as witchetty grubs have been eaten live in the past. Last year only beach worms were eaten live.
|
|
|
|
Beach worm
|
|
2-6 June 2020
Insects to feed the world
Québec City, Canada
http://ifw2020.org/
|
|
Annals of the Entomological Society of America Special Collection: Insects as Food and Feed
Link to document store containing papers
Contributions from the Eating Insects Athens conference held in Athens, Georgia from 13-15 August 2018. Second are gathered to celebrate the life of Dr Marianne Clopton Shockley of the Department of Entomology, University of Georgia (UGA), who died in the spring of 2019.
A Special Issue on Insects as Feed and Food as Tribute to Dr. Marianne Clopton Shockley (August 14, 1975 to March 12, 2019)
Jeffery K. Tomberlin, Valerie J. Stull, Julie Lesnik, Floyd W. Shockley
Eating Insects Athens Conference 2018 and the North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture
Justin Butner, Marianne Shockley
Impact of Larval Competition on Life-History Traits of the Black Soldier Fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)
Brittny M. Jones, Jeffery K. Tomberlin
How to Reply to Some Ethical Objections to Entomophagy
Bob Fischer
Insect Food Products in the Western World: Assessing the Potential of a New ‘Green’ Market
C. Matilda Collins, Pauline Vaskou, Yiannis Kountouris
Approaches for Utilizing Insect Protein for Human Consumption: Effect of Enzymatic Hydrolysis on Protein Quality and Functionality
Andrea M. Liceaga
Crude Protein, Amino Acid, and Iron Content of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae) Reared on an Agricultural Byproduct from Maize Production: an Exploratory Study
Valerie J. Stull, Marjorie Kersten, Rachel S. Bergmans, Jonathan A. Patz, Susan Paskewitz
Insect Composition and Uses in Animal Feeding Applications: A Brief Review
Liz Koutsos, Alejandra McComb , Mark Finke
The Cultural Importance of Edible Insects in Oaxaca, Mexico
Kayla J. Hurd, Shruti Shertukde, Trevor Toia, Angelina Trujillo, Ramona L. Pérez, David L. Larom, John J. Love, Changqi Liu
The Colonial/Imperial History of Insect Food Avoidance in the United States
Julie J. Lesnik
The Need for Alternative Insect Protein in Africa
Jennifer L. Pechal, M. Eric Benbow, Arox W. Kamng’ona, Andrews Safalaoh, Kingsley Masamba, Jeremiah Kang’ombe
Adult Reproductive Tract Morphology and Spermatogenesis in the Black Soldier Fly (Diptera: Stratiomyidae)
Aline S. Malawey, David Mercati, Charles C. Love, Jeffery K. Tomberlin
|
|
|
|
