Insects for human consumption

Back in 2011, in the Dutch province of Flevoland, the first steps were taken towards the exploitation of a new sector. The city of Lelystad is home to an insect farm where insects have been reared for human consumption since October 2013. 

“We’re driven by the conviction that we need to find new and sustainable sources of protein to feed the rapidly growing world population,” states Ger van der Wal, Managing Director of Insect Europe. “Because insects are used as a source of food in many countries, we saw it as a logical step to explore this area further.” “Locusts, mealworms, cockroaches and crickets, we’ve tried all of them and more,” he continues. “Ultimately, we decided to rear the house cricket (Acheta domesticus) only. In order to be able to do what we’re doing, we formed partnerships with various stakeholders in the chain, including Wageningen University, KU Leuven, FAO, Nutrilab and Rabobank.” 

High-quality protein

What makes the company so unusual is that its farming and marketing activities are primarily focused on products for human consumption. “We work in line with national and international food safety rules,” emphasises Ger. “In addition, our insects are used in snacks for the pet food industry. And we receive all kinds of requests from the feed sector, where we’re mainly focused on the ‘specials’ – in other words, bespoke applications of high-quality protein.”

Open Day

For the next few years, the company’s top priority will be scaling up. “During this growth phase, we’re calling on the food industry to already start thinking about the various application areas. We’re happy to share our knowledge and experience with manufacturers, processors and customers in the food sector.” 

With that in mind, the company is holding an Open Day on Monday 26 September 2016, when anyone is welcome to come and see the activities for themselves. From 9.00 to 17.00 h, visitors can take a guided tour and attend talks and tasting sessions. To register, go to the website.

www.insecteurope.com