Industrial farming of chickens, pigs and fish relies on protein from two sources, land-based soya plantations and marine fishmeal.
AgriProtein is leading a new industry called nutrient recycling.
AgriProtein use fly larvae fed on abundant waste nutrient sources.
UN FAO estimates that population growth and increased demand for meat and fish will require 70% more feed for cattle by 2050.
A third of the fish landed gets turned into meal to feed animals.
Fishmeal is becoming increasingly expensive because of the overexploitation of the oceans.
Cereals are used for animal feed but the nutritional profile of plant proteins is not good enough.
Soya is high in protein but prices have risen sharply.
AgriProtein uses black soldier flies, the blowflies and the common houseflies.
Different species of fly are adapted to feed on different types of waste.
Meals for farmed flies include leftover or spoiled food, manure and abattoir waste.
Flies are bred in giant cages and their eggs are extracted and mixed with its food.
One kilogram of fly eggs turns into around 380kg of larvae in just three days.
Larvae are extracted, dried and milled, leaving behind nitrogen-rich material for compost.
Laws in some regions are currently preventing insect-feed taking off.
In the EU insects protein can be fed to pets but not to animals destined for human consumption.
Insect-based ingredients in feed given to animals bred for human consumption are allowed in Ohio.
“Novel foods in Western diets will incorporate insects to some degree ... but the major growth will be for feed to livestock.”
“We are in danger of, by 2020, the land that is available to us that is productive from an agricultural perspective, being pushed to its limits.”
If you look at the adoption of lobster and sushi, you'll see that people's perceptions of different types of foods that were considered unappealing at one time have actually reversed.
This revulsion (to eating insects) is rooted in a combination of evolutionary predisposition and cultural messages
Crickets are also a rich source of fiber, vitamin B12, and iron.
"The resources needed to create 10 grams of cricket flour is 12 times less than the resources required to create 10 grams of beef protein,"
Salma Hayek and Angelina Jolie are among cricket-eating's celebrity advocates. Jolie said her kids "ate them like Doritos."
A 2011 study calculated that growing meat in labs would cut down on the land required by 99 percent.
A 2011 study calculated that growing meat in labs would reduce the associated need for water by 90 percent.
In August 2013, a team of Dutch scientists showed off their lab-grown burger (cost: $330,000) and even provided a taste test.
The OECD estimates that the demand for meat in North America will increase by 8% between 2011 and 2020, in Europe by 7% and in Asia by 56%.
