Report by ADAS for Tesco and WWF on the potential for insects as an alternative protein.

Population growth is increasing the demand for food products

As the global population grows, the world’s natural and finite resources are becoming increasingly strained. The United Nations estimate that world population is projected to reach 8.5 billion by 2030 and 9.7 billion by 2050 (United Nations, 2019). In order to provide enough food globally in line with a growing population, socio-economic changes, and measures to address the challenges of hunger, food insecurity and malnutrition; efficient and sustainable food production systems are required (FAO, 2018). Humans require a range of essential nutrients in food that are necessary to support human life and good health. These include protein, carbs, fats, vitamins, minerals, and water. Of particular importance is protein, typically consisting of animal protein and to a lesser extent, plant-based protein. However, the average citizen typically consumes too much animal protein per capita in the UK and Europe, reaching levels that are unsustainable. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) recognise that animal protein will always remain an important part of human diets and the demand for meat and fish-based food products will remain strong as population increases. However, as demand for these products continues, so does the demand for feed ingredients that are high in protein. It is therefore important to ensure that animal protein produced is done so sustainably.

Farmed animals play an integral part of the food system

Farmed animals play a pivotal role in the food production system, enabling the creation of food products for humans, often utilising materials that are otherwise unsuitable for direct human consumption. For example, animal production can make use of marginal or unfavourable lands, utilising feed materials (e.g. grass) that can be turned into highly nutritious, protein-rich food. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations recognise that, globally, farmed animals primarily consume foods not fit for human consumption (e.g. forages, crop residues and by-products), with an estimated 86% of all animal feed being categorised as not edible for humans (Mottet et al., 2017). However, this means that around 14% of feed ingredients consist of edible materials (e.g. grains). The production of feed ingredients is competing with and utilising land that that could otherwise be used to produce other food crops for direct human consumption. Furthermore, land use change for producing crops is taking land away from natural habitats and ecosystems that provide a wide range of environmental benefits. The production of soy is one example, with large quantities produced each year to provide feed for farmed animals. The land used to produce this feed it often associated with recent or past land use change.

Food production is having a significant impact on the environment

The production of crops in some regions (for both food and feed) has come at a considerable cost to the environment. On land, for example, intensified agricultural production systems (e.g. soy and beef) in South America have led to the clearing of rainforests, the degradation of natural resources and contribution to climate change (FAO, 2018). In the seas, one-third of global marine fish stocks were fished at unsustainable levels in 2017, with the Mediterranean and Black Sea considered to be the world’s most overfished sea (FAO, 2020a). Producing feed ingredients to grow animal protein is exacerbating the issue. Two key examples include the production of soy and fishmeal.

• Soy production in South America, for example, has been linked with extensive deforestation, where natural habitats are being destroyed and converted to farmland to create land for the production of soy and other agricultural products (e.g. beef).
• Fishmeal production for use in aquaculture feed has resulted in overfishing and has been associated with accelerated depletion of fish stocks and biodiversity loss. An increasing demand for these products to meet the feed requirements of farmed animals is intensifying the impact that these production systems have on the natural environment.

Animal production in the UK continues to contribute to environmental degradation

The UK agricultural sector is making great strides in improving the sustainability of UK-based agriculture and home-produced foods. However, the sourcing of key commodities for animal feed, such as soybean meal and fishmeal, continues to have significant issues on the natural environment within the sourcing regions, which are typically abroad, out of sight and out of mind. Whilst the soy industry is working to ensure that all soy produced is deforestation free; it was estimated in 2019 that only 27% of soy consumed in the UK was covered by a deforestation and conversion free soy (EFECA, 2019); the demand for soy cannot increase indefinitely. Similarly, the use of fishmeal in aquaculture feed must be balanced with the sustainable regeneration of global fish stocks to ensure the future availability of these products. It is therefore important to find more sustainable ways of delivering the protein needs of farmed animals. This will require strategies that incorporate alternative feed ingredients, which are comparable or better than soy and fishmeal (in terms environmental impact, price, quality, and logistics etc.).

Alternative novel proteins for farmed animal feed are required

One way to address the protein needs of animals is to diversify the protein sources used within animal production systems and to reduce reliance on global supply chains. Within a UK context, for example, home-produced protein sources are becoming increasingly desirable as a viable alternative to importing feed ingredients from abroad. Whilst there are a range of novel proteins emerging (e.g. algal, bacterial, and yeast-derived), insect protein is one alternative that has been acknowledged as having considerable potential for use in animal feed (for species such as e.g. chickens, pigs and salmon). Insect protein presents an opportunity to diversify, displace or replace some of the current protein needs of animals fulfilled by fishmeal and soybean meal. Not only can insects be farmed in relatively small spaces compared to other agricultural products, they offer the opportunity to utilise by-products that may otherwise be wasted, and farming can be conducted on nonagricultural land with fewer environmental consequences.

Can insect protein provide a viable solution?

The purpose of this study was to assess the environmental impact reduction potential of insect protein relative to soy and fishmeal, and to understand what might be required to see the scaling of production in the UK. This report provides WWF’s evaluation and recommendations to the industry and policy makers on an alternative novel ingredient for animal feed in the form of insect protein.

Citation: Ffoulkes, C., Illman, H., O’Connor, R., Lemon, F., Behrendt, K., Wynn, S., Wright, P., Godber, O., Ramsden, M., Adams, J., Metcalfe, P., Walker, L., Gittins, J., Wickland, K., Nanua, S. and Sharples, B. (2021) Development of a roadmap to scale up insect protein production in the UK for use in animal feed. Technical Report prepared by ADAS and Michelmores for WWF-UK and Tesco.