Insect protein farming
Also known as Insect farming, Edible insect farming, Black soldier fly farming, Mealworm farming
Insect protein farming rears insects such as black soldier fly and yellow mealworm on organic side-streams and processes the larvae into protein and fat for feed and, more rarely, food. Feed use is permitted in the EU, and EFSA has found dried yellow mealworm safe as a food under set conditions. Ynsect, a French producer, went into liquidation in December 2025, so the business case is unproven.
In plain language
Some insects grow fast and eat a wide range of organic material, including food waste and leftovers from farms and factories. Insect farms feed these larvae on a carefully controlled diet, let them grow for a few weeks, then harvest them and dry or press them. What is left is a protein-rich meal and a fat, which can go into animal feed, and a residue called frass that can be used as fertiliser.
The appeal is that the process turns low-value material into protein and fat for feed and food. The hard part is cost. Farms need warm, controlled buildings, a steady supply of suitable feed, and a plant to process the larvae. Ynsect, which built an industrial-scale facility, went into liquidation in 2025 after failing to secure the financing it needed.
Technical explanation
Insect protein farming is a form of bioconversion. Larvae of species such as the black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) and the yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) are reared on substrates such as food-industry side-streams, and the larval biomass is then separated, dried or pressed into meal and fat. Conversion efficiency depends on the feedstock, so a single figure should not be treated as a general benchmark.
Regulation is a major constraint. In the EU, insect-derived processed animal protein has been permitted in aquaculture feed since 2017 and was extended to pig and poultry feed in 2021 (Meijer and colleagues, 2023). Ruminant feed remains excluded by the general ban on animal protein in ruminant feed. Human food falls under the EU novel food rules. EFSA's NDA Panel found dried yellow mealworm safe under the proposed uses and use levels in 2021, with allergy warnings for people sensitive to crustaceans and dust mites. For black soldier fly, the European Commission's summary of an application from InnovaFeed SAS covers a dried defatted larval powder for specific food categories. This profile did not find an EFSA opinion on that product.
Life cycle assessments give results that depend on modelling choices. Smetana, Schmitt and Mathys (2019) use attributional modelling to find the most impacting production stages and consequential modelling to assess effects on the wider agri-food system. Their abstract, read through a secondary summary, reports insect meal as competitive with some animal-derived proteins but with higher impacts than plant-based meals.
What the evidence says
Each statement is typed by the strength of its evidence and linked to the source that supports it.
Demonstrated Shown in a published experiment, test or shipping product.
EFSA's NDA Panel concluded that dried yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larva) is safe under the proposed uses and use levels, which include snacks other than chips at up to 100 g per 100 g and biscuits, legume-based dishes, uncooked pasta-based dishes and sports protein products at up to 10 g per 100 g.
Sources: [1] · Conclusions; Table 8EFSA states that dried yellow mealworm may cause allergic reactions in people allergic to crustaceans and dust mites, that it may induce de novo sensitisation to its proteins, and that contaminant levels depend on contaminant levels in the insect feed.
Sources: [1] · ConclusionsInsect-derived processed animal protein has been permitted in EU aquaculture feed since 2017 and was extended to pig and poultry feed in 2021, while ruminant feed remains excluded by the general ban on animal protein in ruminant feed.
Sources: [3] · Introduction; Section 2 · medium confidenceReported, unverified Stated by a company or team but not independently confirmed.
The European Commission's summary of InnovaFeed's application covers a dried defatted Hermetia illucens larvae powder for meat imitates, cereal bars, protein and amino acid supplements, hummus, and bean, meat and vegetable meals. This profile found no EFSA opinion on it.
Sources: [2] · Summary of application · medium confidenceAccording to the applicant, two in vitro genotoxicity tests (Ames and micronucleus) and one subchronic rat study (OECD 408) identified no safety concern for its black soldier fly powder at the time of submission.
Sources: [2] · Summary of application · medium confidenceSmetana, Schmitt and Mathys (2019) use attributional modelling to find the most impacting stages of insect production and consequential modelling to assess effects on the wider agri-food system. Their abstract reports insect meal as competitive with some animal-derived proteins but with higher impacts than plant-based meals.
Sources: [5] · Abstract (via TableDebates summary) · medium confidenceYnsect, a French insect protein producer, entered judicial liquidation in December 2025 after a commercial court ordered it, having been unable to secure the financing for its continuation plan. The company blamed difficulties faced by climate-related and agricultural start-ups in raising funds.
Sources: [6] · Article body · medium confidenceVertical Farm Daily reports that Ynsect will close its industrial-scale facility near Dole, France, and that its pilot facility there was acquired in April 2025 by co-founder and former CEO Antoine Hubert, through a new venture, for fertiliser production.
Sources: [6] · Article body · medium confidenceLimitations and open problems
- Feed conversion and environmental results vary with the feedstock, rearing conditions and modelling choices. The life cycle evidence reviewed here comes from abstracts and secondary summaries, so this profile gives no verified conversion figures.
- EFSA's 2021 opinion covers dried yellow mealworm, not black soldier fly. The European Commission has published a summary of an application for a black soldier fly powder, and this profile found no EFSA opinion on it.
- EFSA states that consumption of dried yellow mealworm may cause allergic reactions in people allergic to crustaceans and dust mites, and that it may induce de novo sensitisation to its proteins.
- EFSA could not fully conclude on stability. Most peroxide values during the proposed shelf life did not meet the proposed limit, and the panel said the proposed 24-month shelf life may be too long.
- Ynsect, a French producer, went into liquidation in December 2025 after failing to secure the financing for its continuation plan, so the economics of large insect plants remain unproven. The company blamed difficulties raising funds for climate-related and agricultural start-ups. The sources reviewed give no verified production cost or market size figures.
- The UK Food Standards Agency has published guidance on authorising edible insects as novel foods (28 December 2023). This profile did not confirm which insect species hold a UK authorisation.
Possible future uses
Ideas, not predictions. None of these has been demonstrated.
- Frass, the residue from rearing, sold as a fertiliser to fund insect farms while the food and feed markets mature.
- Small, local rearing units that convert food-industry side-streams into feed, if feedstock rules and costs allow them to compete with larger plants.
- Insect fat and protein as ingredients in human foods, once the novel food applications are decided.
Timeline
- 2017Insect-derived processed animal protein is permitted in aquaculture feed in the EU. Sources: [3]
- May 2019Smetana, Schmitt and Mathys publish a life cycle assessment of black soldier fly biomass for feed and food in Resources, Conservation and Recycling. Sources: [5]
- Jun 2019Bosch and colleagues publish a study of black soldier fly conversion efficiency and environmental impacts in the Journal of Cleaner Production. Sources: [4]
- 13 Jan 2021EFSA publishes its opinion finding dried yellow mealworm safe under the proposed uses and use levels. Sources: [1]
- 28 Dec 2023The UK Food Standards Agency publishes guidance on authorising edible insects as novel foods. Sources: [7]
- Dec 2025Ynsect, a French insect protein producer, goes into liquidation, and its industrial site near Dole is reported to be closing. Sources: [6]
Futures this could help bring about
Related breakthroughs
Glossary
- Black soldier fly
- Hermetia illucens, a fly whose larvae eat organic waste and are reared as a protein and fat source.
- Bioconversion
- Turning organic material into insect biomass by feeding it to larvae.
- Frass
- The waste left by insect larvae, mixed with leftover feed, which can be used as fertiliser.
- Novel food
- Under EU Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, a food that was not eaten to a significant degree in the EU before 1997 and needs authorisation before it is sold.
Sources
- government report
Safety of dried yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larva) as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283
EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA). EFSA Journal, 13 Jan 2021. DOI: 10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6343. Accessed 21 Oct 2026. - government report
Summary of application: Dried defatted powder of Hermetia illucens larvae
European Commission, Food Safety (novel food application summaries), 2023. Accessed 21 Oct 2026. - review article
The use of animal by-products in a circular bioeconomy: Time for a TSE road map 3?
Nathan Meijer, Leo WD Van Raamsdonk, Elise WJ Gerrits et al.. Heliyon, Mar 2023. DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e14021. Accessed 21 Oct 2026. - peer reviewed paper
Conversion of organic resources by black soldier fly larvae: Legislation, efficiency and environmental impact
G. Bosch, H.H.E. van Zanten, A. Zamprogna et al.. Journal of Cleaner Production, Jun 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.02.270. Accessed 21 Oct 2026. - peer reviewed paper
Sustainable use of Hermetia illucens insect biomass for feed and food: Attributional and consequential life cycle assessment
S. Smetana, E. Schmitt, A. Mathys. Resources, Conservation and Recycling, May 2019. DOI: 10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.01.042. Accessed 21 Oct 2026. - news
Ÿnsect enters judicial liquidation as financing efforts fall through
Vertical Farm Daily, 5 Dec 2025. Accessed 21 Oct 2026. - government report
Edible insects guidance
Food Standards Agency, 28 Dec 2023. Accessed 21 Oct 2026.
Revision history
3 changes since this profile was created.