This paper compares the carbon footprint of broiler meat production in Europe with two uses of insect protein: either as chicken feed (in the place of soybean meal), or as food for direct consumption by humans. There is high variation in performance between insect species. On average, the carbon footprint per kg of protein produced for human consumption is lowest in the case of consuming insect protein directly as food, where the insects are fed on low-value industrial side streams. Replacing soybean meal chicken feed with insects can increase the carbon footprint, especially if the insects are fed on industrially produced composite feed as opposed to a waste stream.

Insects are one step closer to being available as snacks or food ingredients in Europe. The European Commission’s Standing Committee on Plants, Animals, Food and Feed has approved a draft legal act that, once adopted by the Commission, would permit dried yellow mealworm (the larvae of the beetle Tenebrio molitor) to be sold in the European Union for consumption by people. The yellow mealworm will be the first insect to be approved under the Novel Food Regulation. 11 further applications for edible insects are waiting to be evaluated by the European Food Safety Authority. 

This paper sets out a conceptual framework for a “pesticide treadmill”, in which pesticide use initiates a self-reinforcing vicious cycle, which can be escaped from in certain circumstances. It illustrates its arguments using case studies from Sudan and Nicaragua, and sets out similarities and differences between modern neonicotinoid usage patterns and historical examples of pesticide treadmills.

This report from the European Commission’s Science for Environment Policy describes the importance of pollinators (such as bees, flies and moths) for food production and for nature. It identifies several drivers of pollinator loss and sets out methods of monitoring pollinator populations.

According to this article in Quartz Africa, a new wave of desert locust swarms is forming in East Africa (including Kenya, Ethiopia and Somalia). Wet conditions mean that the locusts are likely to continue to breed. It is feared that many farmers could lose their newly planted crops. Efforts to control the swarms through aerial spraying have been slowed by the coronavirus crisis.

This paper, co-authored by FCRN member Christian Reynolds, discusses public engagement at the authors’ ‘Take a Bite Out of Climate Change’ stand, which used infographics, short games and displays of vertical farming and insect-based foods to encourage discussion about the climate impacts of food production.

This paper reviews initiatives for conserving insects and argues that they must be expanded globally to protect insect populations. It also argues that the value of insects to society must be better communicated to people, e.g. through focusing on the benefits of iconic insect species or particular landscapes. 

This book reviews research on the development of biopesticides, including those based on microbes, natural substances and pheromones.