INSECT MEAL AS FISHMEAL REPLACEMENT IS NOT TAKING OFF.
Another case of bankruptcy of an insect farm and insect meal industry has been known past week. There would be like 10 companies that went down after years of efforts, and the reasons are many.
The idea sounded, and is fine: integral or circular economy, a new source of proteins, a new source of oil, replacement or complementary ingredients for a limited marine products supply, etc. Even though lobbying took these factors into account (and quite big investments and financial support have been got), the reality is that costs are still high and the main problem in our point of view is that quality is not even near the one of the fishmeal one, and in fat or oil, it is even more disappointing.
Insect farming companies say that they are in a way similar to the development of the solar power, which had difficult years in the beginning, but maybe this comparison is not useful as we are at the end talking about feed ingredients for final products dedicated to human consumption, and that has to go through some resistance.
One important factor is maybe the source : most of these adventures bet on the black soldier fly, which results in terms of quality are not really comparable with fishmeal high nutritional value.
It looks like more careful selection of insect species and reduced costs would be required for this activity, that indeed could help to reduce the proteinic meals shortage for aquaculture feed, and contribute for a good use of organic residues.