We had the opportunity to interview Christophe Derrien, Secretary-General of IPIFF, which 'represents the interests of the insect production sector towards EU policymakers, European stakeholders and citizens'. Derrien assesses the industry's next decade as follows: "By the end of the decade, new regulatory developments like authorization of new substrates in the EU - such as former foodstuffs with meat and fish as feedstock for insects are expected to play a key role in upscaling the production of insects and their derived ingredients - implicitly leading to a decrease in prices." We talked with Mr. Derrien about IPIFF, the current state and future of the industry, the possible effects of the EU's new authorization, and, of course, the coronavirus. The questions we asked to and the answers we received from IPIFF Secretary-General Christophe Derrien are as follows:

Can you introduce IPIFF? What do you do for the food and feed industry? The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) is an EU non-profit organization which represents the interests of the insect production sector towards EU policymakers, European stakeholders and citizens. Originally created in 2012, the association works in close contact with insect farmers and producers - currently 78 members in 25 countries - in bridging the gap between the sector and EU/ international institutions by giving information and updates on the regulatory advancements and understanding policy needs.

Our organization, through the years, also integrated academic entities (universities and research institutes) and actors producing equipment and/or machinery in order to have a full picture of the entire production chain. IPIFF's main mission is to promote, inform and support the wider use of insects as a complementary source of protein for human consumption and animal feed by centering its activities around advocating for appropriate EU legislative frameworks to apply to insect production.

What is protein deficit? How can the industry overcome this? Do you think there will be a crisis in this regard in the near future? The protein deficit issue is strongly related to the fact that the EU is not self-sufficient in the supply of animal feed ingredients (i.e. high protein materials) in order to respond to current meat protein demands in Europe1. With the world population expected to exceed 9.7 billion by 2050, food production needs to increase proportionally. Insect production activities respond to the demand for sustainable and high-quality protein to feed a growing population, by generating locally produced food, as well as feed ingredients which could be used in fish or animal farming.

Why do you think we need insects as food and feed? Apart from the economic efficiency concerns, does it also have environmental advantages? The sustainability of insect farming is given by its reduced environmental footprint and high efficiency in terms of water and land footprint. Being mainly produced in the EU, insect proteins can help reducing the dependency on imported sources of proteins (contribution to reducing deforestation associated with the use of certain imported materials) . Thanks to the vertical farming techniques implemented, insect farming requires less arable land (insect farmers use ‘crates’ aligned vertically).

Insects can also contribute to reducing the burden of food waste being fed with foodstuff not or no longer destined for human consumption. Moreover, in addition to their numerous advantages for animal nutrition, the presence of antimicrobial agents (e.g. chitin, lauric acid) in insects has been efficient against pathogens, confirming their high potential to reduce the use of antibiotics in animal farming.

What is your role between the farmers and the legislative authorities? In this context, what kind of partnership do you maintain with the EU? One of the main objectives of our organization is to represent the interest of insect producers and try to achieve regulatory goals which could help our members and sector to grow. In order to do so, IPIFF regularly meets Head of Units, policy officers from the EU institutions (European Commission DG AGRI, ENVI and SANTE) and European Parliament representatives. It also collaborates with other important actors in the agri-food sector such as Copa-Cogeca, FEFAC and Food Drink Europe.

Within the EU framework, insects were already allowed to be used in pet food and aquaculture feed. And recently, Europe approved the authorization of insect meal in poultry and pig feed. How do you think this new development will affect the industry? Should we expect further authorizations in the future? The market of insects as feed is dynamic and depends on a series of factors. Among these, the regulatory context played an important role in the European Union. Notably, following the authorization of insect PAPs in aquaculture (i.e. July 2017), the aquafeed market became the main target for feed business operators (FBOs) - i.e. until then, PAPs could have only been used in pet food.

According to IPIFF members, the authorization of insect PAPs in poultry and pig feed will offer new opportunities - starting with the incorporation of such ingredients into the diet of such animals, the subsequent use of insects in organically farmed chicken and pigs, implicitly strengthening partnerships between insect and animal farms. Such trends will also be stimulated by consumer choice (e.g. growing consumption of lower footprint animal-derived products, such as eggs, fish, chicken or pig), the growth of certain niche markets (e.g. free-range poultry, organic production value chains, etc.).

By the end of the decade, new regulatory developments (e.g. authorization of new substrates in the EU - such as former foodstuffs with meat and fish as feedstock for insects) are expected to play a key role in upscaling the production of insects and their derived ingredients - implicitly leading to a decrease in prices.

How has the coronavirus pandemic affected the perspective on food and feed safety? What do you think will be the temporary and permanent repercussions of this shock on insect feed in the future? As far as production is concerned, like in the case of other food sectors, the COVID-19 pandemic posed numerous challenges to insect producers in Europe and around the globe. Being composed of SMEs and ‘newly established’ businesses, insect production activities have been facing some disruptions as a consequence of this unprecedented crisis.

From the safety point of view, no concerns were raised or issues encountered by our members. In fact, insects are farmed in secure, hygienic conditions to ensure optimal growing conditions and protection from pests. Temperature and humidity are constantly monitored - throughout the different life stages of the insects. These parameters also ensure that a proper population density is maintained, in line with each species’ characteristics, as highlighted as well in the IPIFF Guide on Good Hygiene Practices.

Overall, the COVID-19 pandemic would also present an opportunity, for both consumers and producers, to rethink how supply chain works. Consumers would be better informed of what they buy and eat and producers would apply more resilient supply chain systems (avoiding disruptions) by choosing locally produced food and feed ingredients. Insect farmers already select substrates from local partners, facilitating the transition from linear to circular business models in agriculture.