“There is little risk of insect farming being affected negatively by corona virus – at least considering the production animals. It is therefore likely that insects can support feed and food security in a positive way providing robustness to the supply chain.”

The risks of food security and its relationship with the agriculture, livestock and feed industry were already popular topics in the industry even before the coronavirus.

After the pandemic broke out, food security concerns increased and civilians, experts, journalists and politicians started to puzzle their brains on this issue.

Insects, seen as an alternative protein source, are increasingly used in animal nutrition. Both the advances in sustainability studies and the elimination of health concerns over time suggest that insects will be used more intensively as a protein source in the future.

In the partially pessimistic environment caused by the ongoing pandemic, we had the opportunity to have an informative interview with Lars-Henrik Lau Heckmann, Head of Insect and Protein Technology Section at the Danish Technological Institute.

Can you please introduce yourself to our readers? What kinds of works are you performing at the Danish Technological Institute?

I am Head of Section at the Danish Technological Institute - DTI for short - it is a section called Insect and Protein Technology.

Our work focuses on production of insects for industrial level - mainly common mealworm, Tenebrio molitor and black soldier fly, Hermetia illucens.

We specialized on different aspects of optimizing the production of these animals in a controlled production environment.

For instance, we optimize the reproduction and genetics and we make sure that physical parameters such as temperature, relative humidity, and CO2 level are at an optimum physiological level so that these animals produce at their best while still ensuring their welfare.

And we also have focus on the protein part, both regarding developing feed with insects (e.g. for aquaculture) or for developing feed for insects - that relates to our nutritional focus, but can also be used for assessing the quality of the insects as products, e.g. by analyzing protein profiles, characterizing the protein and applying in vitro digestibility studies.

So overall, our expertise is focused on optimizing the first segment of this new sector of the value chain – namely production.

I have other colleagues at DTI that focus on processing and product development both for feed and food and together we, more or less, cover the entire value chain and have a – what you could call - one stop shop of different services that we provide for the sector; as well as for companies that want to find out whether they want to be a part of the sector.

Finally, we do a lot of publicly-funded scientific research to generate new knowledge for later application.

So, we can say that the word “Institute” in your institution’s name is a figurative one?

Yes, yes. Exactly. It does not imply that we are a public institution or university or something like that. We are a private, self-owned, independent organization.

A lot of engineers and people with science background are working in various areas since 1906 – currently employing approximately 1000 specialists.

For the last 7 years, we have been focusing on building a business area of competencies and services within the insect value chain. And today, as I mentioned we have different departments that cover this value chain.

I would say we are about 20 specialists with a technical background that work within this area in DTI.

Using insects as feed is not a very common phenomenon. Can you please give some general information about this subject? Why do you think using insects as feed is necessary? Well, first of all, just like in the food sector, there is a high focus on finding quality protein sources in the feed sector.

I would imagine that is relevant also in Turkey. And protein is not just protein. We know that animal-based protein has normally a better amino acid profile that is suitable for animal production like poultry and pigs.

Nowadays, fishmeal is under pressure - the volumes have been stagnating in the global market for a decade or more. Particularly in the aquaculture and agriculture sectors, fish production and poultry production are growing quite fast globally.

Today there is a high demand for additional good protein sources. However, this cannot be sufficiently provided as there is e.g. currently no more fishmeal to sustain this growth.

So, for some time, the feed sector has been looking towards what alternatives could be relevant. And this is where insects could be an opportunity.

Because they have an amino acid profile, protein quality is very relevant to fish, poultry, pigs and so forth.

The problem here is, of course, that the production of insects is not yet fully matured and has not yet reached a full potential for commercialization. But that has started to change now.

So it makes sense from a nutritional perspective for Turkish farmers to use insect meal as a substitute supplement. And now, the volume of insect production is starting to reach a level where you can get supply.

There are several companies in Europe now that are starting to reach a production volume where the supply becomes more relevant for the feed sector.

And you can start putting this new raw material into your feed formulations.

It is something that has been, how can I say, be ‘sizzling’ for the last five years or so. It is a sector that has moved fast ahead.

But perhaps it has not moved as fast ahead as many have hoped; especially the outside world.

When you start with new technology and particularly when it involves biology – as in this case, where insects are involved, it is not always a linear progression when you do innovation and you take it from a from a certain technology readiness level moving it towards a fully ready system.

now it is starting to happen and I would advise your readers to look at the vision paper published in 2018 by IPIFF – the umbrella organization of the insect sector (we are a very well organized industry).

In this vision paper, the main stakeholders for the European insects sector have provided numbers regarding the expected production volumes – forecasting the next five to seven years; including job creation and other relevant numbers for the sector.

This publication underlines that the insect sector is moving into the commercial phase. The numbers have been provided by the sector itself and there have been large investments recently that support future progression.

There are a number of – relatively speaking - huge insect producers, of relevance to the feed sector and that individually have received 50 or more million Euros in investment recently.

So infrastructure is starting to be built that can support a relevant supply to the feed sector and also for food.

The timing or the relevance for the Turkish farmers or other European or international farmers to think of insect meal their feed for the livestock in is reaching a point now where it is becoming quite relevant.

When it comes to the necessity of “insect as feed” concept, we usually come across with two common answers; rapid increase in the global population and the increasing need for protein both due to this population increase and the change in consumption habits. How accurate do you think these reasons are and do you want to add any other answers to the same question?

Well, yes, I can start with the consumer perception first. Consumer acceptance is, of course, vital in this case. It is vital in any case where you want to place a new product in the market which could - one or the other way- how can I say- have an influence on the consumer. Because they are mentally or socially affected or feel impact of it.

And insects are, for sure, one of those new products where the feelings start to get affected for one or other reason. Culture, you could say, comes into play.

When we are talking about insects for feed, personally and professionally, I have been working in this sector for the last five years - I have not met anyone that had an issue with putting insects into feed; and then eating fish or chicken or eggs where that particular animal that produced this product have been fed on insects.

These insects are very natural feed items for many fish, for poultry and for pigs without doubt. We know that, if they were in nature, this is what they would normally eat, among other things, of course!

So you could say, from that perspective, we can even benefit, product-wise, by putting insects into the feed for livestock because you can carry on that narrative to the consumer saying that this animal has received nutrition that is quite natural to it.

So that can be used as an upside; and consumer may be more inclined to buy this product (e.g. poultry fed on insects) - you may also be able to sell your products as slight premium.

At least in the West, I could say in Denmark, it is something that consumers definitely care about, if you can sell your meat product with a better an animal welfare profile than not, then you capture market shares at least in some part of the market.

Then there is the nutritional benefit for the animal which is undisputed; and can be the main driver for including insects in feed.

So even if you don’t buy into the animal welfare part, many consumers are neutral to this, there is still a nutritional incentive.

When we move into food, consumer perception becomes very different because then you are exposed to the insects in a direct form whereas with feed you are indirectly exposed to the insects.

However, as the interview and your magazine are focusing on feed, I don’t assume I should say much more about the food part.

Yes, you are totally right. For feed we have very few consumer concerns regarding using insects for animal livestock.

With these words, you have already answered some questions I was planning to ask. However, I was trying to ask something different. When I ask the reasons why we need insects as feed from experts, I generally hear them giving two answers; first, the rapid increase in the global population and secondly, the changing consumer behaviors gradually in favor of protein consumption. Would you agree on that? Or do you want to add anything? Well, I agree with the overall perception of this, which you just mentioned. Without a doubt, we will continue to eat animal-based products for decades, for centuries.

And we will need more high quality food for the growing population without a doubt. Some people argue that we have enough resources at present to feed the global human population now and in 2050 – it is a matter of distributing these resources.

Whether it is possible to re-distribute the food sufficiently between regions and whether we can do that fast enough is another question. Probably sounds easier than it is – it is a complex issue.

From my perspective as a biologist, I believe as humans we have evolved as omnivores. We eat both animal-based and vegetable-based food. But we have started to eat a lot more animal-based than our ancestors.

So the question is also whether there is actually a need to produce more livestock – for sure we need to eat more plant-based foods. But we should not feel ashamed from eating animal-based products either.

We just need to get used to eating somewhat less animal-based products. And then you can talk about quality.

Those animal-based products should also be as good quality as possible. Because if we get them more seldom, we also want to be sure that it is really good quality.

Maybe in Turkey it is different, but for my grandparents who lived in the rural Denmark, getting meat on the table everyday was not the case. But nowadays, people in their 30s and 40s are used to that being the norm.

I don’t know how it is in Turkey, again, but in Denmark, in Northern or Central Northern Europe, when you think about what to eat, you start thinking about which meat to eat. That’s the center piece. And then you build the dish around the meat.

At least in the Western world, we need to learn to make more dishes without meat. And we see that meat consumption is on decline in Denmark for instance as one example as in other countries too.

Other parts of the world, which are bigger than Denmark, e.g., China and Asia, meat is generally considered as good nutrition.

When you become wealthier, when you move up to the middle class, it is very natural that you want to be healthier and get good nutrition for your family, for your children - that comes from animal products, often meat.

So, there will still be an increase in meat consumption globally. Although, in hundred years, it may have reached a plateau and started to decline somewhat because the cultural trends in one region do not necessarily influence cultural trends in another region in real-time.

Things that dominate our culture may take generations before they are changed, such as our focus on meat.

It may become a bit philosophical but the overall question is really how much animal-based products we need to produce as well as how we produce (e.g. in relation to animal welfare).

Moreover, we have other resources which are in deficit or declining, like fishmeal in relation to the feed sector, so we also need good sustainable alternatives – and because also animal livestock need relevant nutrition. This is where insects can provide a relevant solution for supporting that situation.

Right now, I tend to agree with what you said about the other experts’ thoughts. But I think it is a snapshot of the situation here and now. In the Western world, we likely have reached a plateau.

For instance, in Denmark, one of the biggest meat producers – Danish Crown – are working on a MEAT2030 strategy - it is a publicly disseminated strategy likely better known in Denmark, then in Turkey.

Nevertheless, in their strategy, there is a lot of focus on sustainability and a lot of focus on ‘we do not necessarily need to produce more meat, but we need to produce better meat’. And people will eat less meat.

So it will balance. What you pay extra for meat will balance with what you will use (less) in the future. You just need to get approximately hundred grams per week, but a good hundred.

You get 300 grams per day at present. And as livestock production has a relative high climate and environmental impact this causes problems – when our consumption of meat is high.

But if our consumption is in balance with our nutritional needs, it will be easier to ensure sustainability. I know this is starting to become an almost political answer, so I leave it up to you take from this what you think of relevance to the article.

Regional and global trends will eventually move in similar direction, e.g. meat consumption going down in Northern Central Europe is also something we need to look out for in the future.

This will eventually be part of a global trend that will make livestock production decline at some point and likely decline to a level where it is in more balance with our nutritional needs and planetary resources.

Coronavirus process caused many shocking effects on different rings of the value chain and increased the concerns about the feed security. After this global pandemic experience, what kind of a role do you think insect feed may play in terms of feed security? Indeed, it has been a ‘black swan event’ regarding the corona virus in many different sectors and also something that has raised concerns in the food/feed sector(s).

Although insects are animals, they are invertebrates - and from an evolutionary and biological perspective they are very distant from vertebrate animals like fish, poultry, pigs and humans for that matter.

Because of this biological divergence, there is no evidence of transmission of zoonotic diseases (e.g. viruses and bacteria) between insects, livestock, and humans.

Hence, there is little risk of insect farming being affected negatively by corona virus – at least considering the production animals. It is therefore likely that insects can support feed and food security in a positive way providing robustness to the supply chain.