Introducing insect-based salmon feed. From a nutritional, economic, legal and marketing perspective

Abstract

The expansion of the aquaculture sector around the world has resulted in a growth of the demand for fishmeal (FM). Due to the limited sea resources, the price of FM has risen significantly in past years pushing the sector to find substitutes. In this context, insects attract more and more industrial and scientific attention as they have many advantages. First, with around one million species estimated, insects are rich in protein, oil and minerals. Second, they are able to feed on a large variety of substrates such as agricultural by-products and organic waste. And finally, they are naturally present in wild salmon diet. Nevertheless, the use of insects in FM is not yet exploited at their full potential. Today, European regulations allow only seven species in fish feed. Moreover, regarding, bi-conversion, the EU only allows the use of vegetal by-products and some former foodstuff. From a marketing perspective, salmon fed with insects would be welcomed by consumers, but it could not reach a premium price. Economically, insect meal (IM) is still produced in small quantities and its price is still higher than FM. This situation is expected to change as the insect sector is developing fast and the production of IM should significantly increase in the near future. Therefore, according to feed producers, insect-based salmon feed seems to be on the verge of introduction to the market.