As of July 1, processed proteins derived from insects are authorized for use in feed for farmed fish in the EU. FEFAC has released a statement welcoming the authorization.
In the long term, the inclusion of insect meal could further contribute to the sustainable development of EU aquaculture.
Within the current legal framework, the feeding of insects destined to be used as fish feed needs to comply with the same requirements as any conventionally farmed animal, meaning in particular that they may not be fed with e.g. catering waste or livestock manure. FEFAC believes that this measure is in line with the present state of scientific knowledge and should facilitate the public & market acceptance of insect proteins used as feed.
FEFAC would welcome further research into the safety of potential alternative substrates for insect farming, i.e. materials that are currently not directly useable for feeding fish, poultry or pigs, as also recommended by EFSA in its opinion on the risk profile related to production and consumption of insects as food and feed in October 2015. This may create further added value to proteins derived from farmed insects in the context of boosting circular economies.