It might sound like science fiction, or a celebrity fad for trendsetters like Angelina Jolie and Gwyneth Paltrow. But the day when insects are a staple of the Australian diet may be nearer than many people think. Edible insects are the fastest growing alternative protein market in the world. They are seen by organisations like the CSIRO as an invaluable, sustainable food source in the context of climate change and a ballooning global population.
There are already a number of locally produced edible insect products on the market. Consider Olympia Yarger, who this month was named ACT’s Australian of the Year. Her agritech start-up Goterra has pioneered an innovative, automated food waste reduction process utilising maggots. But it is also developing a variety of insect meals that can be utilised for animal feed or human consumption, among other uses.
The expectations for this burgeoning industry are both ambitious and tantalising. A major 2020 report by AgriFutures predicted the industry could be worth $10 million a year by 2025. While CSIRO in 2019 forecast a $4.1 billion domestic and $2.5 billion export opportunity for alternative proteins by 2030, with insect protein being a significant portion of that windfall. AgriFutures earlier this year co-launched an Emerging Insect Technology Hub for global information sharing.
Far more than just a fad, this emerging food technology represents a massive growth opportunity across a wide range of industries, including farming and agriculture, manufacturing, engineering, food sciences and more. We sat down with Duncan Rowland, Chair of the Insect Protein Association of Australia, to discuss the industry outlook, jobs of the future, the research agenda, and just what impact insect protein production is expected to have in Australia over the coming years.
What kinds of things can insect products be used for, in terms of human consumption?
Insect products provide nutrients in a really accessible way. When we think about eating crickets, we’re not thinking deep fried crickets any longer. We’re thinking about the use of those products as flour or as a meal, ground products, as well as reformed or reconstituted products. You can make pastas, you can make additives for body building supplements. The range is quite incredible.
These insect-based products can also be used as animal feed, for animals that are then utilised for human consumption. Because we’re now starting to get shortages in meat and bone meal and rendered product, and also because the cost of bringing soybean meal and other plant protein meals into the country, we need some way of filling that gap. And that gap is insect protein. Insect protein for aquaculture, poultry and pigs is potentially enormous.
What value is there for local industry getting behind the insect protein industry?
The economic potential is significant. Australia is probably seven to ten years behind Europe and the US in this space. There are some very sizeable production facilities around the world that produce insects for human food consumption. That’s something we need to start thinking about. Not just for local use either. Being so close to South-East Asia, we could be exporting product very easily.
There are also sustainability benefits. In the case of animal feed, there’s a circular economy that comes into play. For instance, a stockfeed manufacturer has some floor waste, sweepings, those sorts of things. This “rubbish”, instead of being dumped, can be utilised as a feed source for the insects, which in turn are put back into the stockfeed. So there are ways to think about integrating insect farms into existing infrastructure, with environmental and economic benefits.
What have been the significant developments in the last couple of years?
There’s been some trial work done for fish, poultry and pigs. Apart from the Emerging Insect Technology Hub, there’s a big push by AgriFutures to put together a research, development and adoption working group to prioritise what research needs to be done: what needs to be done now, and looking forward to what’s going to benefit the industry in the long run.
One important area for research will be line selection. How do we genetically select the grandparent stock to reduce production time from seven days to five days, to reduce costs and increase the food conversion efficiency of the animal? We should be able to do that quite easily because we’ve got such a short breeding cycle, compared with cattle where that process might take ten or 15 years.
Also the feed side of the industry is starting to pick up the Quality Assurance program FeedSafe, which is part of the Stockfeed Manufacturers Council and based on GMP and HACCP principles. It’s important to have those kinds of systems in place – quality assurance, third party auditors, those sorts of things – so we know a product meets legislation and the requirements of the regulators.
You say Australia is seven to 10 years behind. Have skills shortages affected progress? What kinds of professionals will be needed as the industry grows?
Skills shortages are common right now and it’s affected the insect industry as well. It’s a start-up industry and it has been slow taking off. There have been a number of businesses that have failed because they don’t have the size required to break through in the market. The ones that succeed are those that have gotten investors on board by showing what they can do in terms of returns.
At the end of the day it’s no different to any other food product. You need to grow it, you need to make sure it’s safe, you need to be able to market and distribute it, and you need a sustainable and competitive business model. The industry will need people with food safety skills, feeding skills, entomology skills, farming and husbandry skills. It will need food scientists, and people with robotics skills, to help automate feeding processes. All of those sorts of skills are now starting to be required.
Bayside Group has serviced the food and beverage industry for over three decades. If you’re looking to recruit the best food and beverage talent contact our specialist consultants.
