The European Union recognizes it has a meat problem. The bloc has no easy way to curb the climate impact of its livestock, which eat soybeans grown on deforested lands and belch heat-trapping gas. According to one estimate, Europe’s farm animals have a bigger carbon footprint than its cars.
In this photo essay, Luigi Avantaggiato explores an unusual solution to this dilemma that is now gaining traction — feeding insects to livestock and, potentially, people. The European Commission says that insects could replace soy-based animal feed, helping to slow deforestation, or even supply an alternate source of protein for humans. Studies show that insects can furnish the same amount of protein as livestock while using as little as 10 percent of the land and producing as little as 1 percent of the emissions.
In 2021, the E.U. approved feeding insect protein to chickens and pigs, a practice already allowed for farmed fish. And it has since cleared the way for selling yellow mealworms, lesser mealworms, migratory locusts, and house crickets to humans, either to be eaten whole or reduced to protein for pasta, cereal bars, and other foods.
As regulatory hurdles fall, dozens of startups in Europe, some supported by E.U. grants, are betting on a growing market for edible insects. By 2030, their trade group claims, European companies will be churning out 1 million tons of insect-based animal feed yearly, and 390 million Europeans will be munching on some form of bug-based fare.
In these photos, Avantaggiato provides a look inside the nascent bug food industry in Northern Italy, focusing on efforts to raise house crickets and soldier flies and research into how livestock manage on insect-based food. Bugs have long been a staple of human diets in parts of Asia and Africa, Avantaggiato says. Now, in the West, “the role of insects is changing, and bugs have been invested with new potential.”
Scroll down to see the images, or click on the photo below to launch a slideshow.
Marco Meneguz, an entomologist with BEF Biosystems in Casalnoceto, monitors black soldier flies as they mate. During mating, “the males gather in a courtship ritual characterized by fights and competitive displays,” he says. The blue light helps the flies see each other better. Luigi Avantaggiato
Black soldier flies mating at BEF Biosystems. Their larvae will be converted into animal feed. Luigi Avantaggiato
At BEF Biosystems, black soldier fly larvae munch on rotting fruits, vegetables, and other waste from nearby farms and supermarkets. Luigi Avantaggiato
Trent Barber, a technician at BEF Biosystems, vacuums up 200 pounds of fly larvae that are plump after two weeks of feeding on food scraps. The remaining food waste, now rich in excrement, will be sold as compost to farms. Luigi Avantaggiato
Piglets feed on fly larvae as part of an experiment at the University of Bologna to see how the animals cope with a diet in which insects replace soy-based feed. In addition to providing nourishment, the living, squirming larvae are a source of stimulation. Luigi Avantaggiato
Simona Belperio, of the University of Bologna, feeds black soldier larvae to piglets. For the experiment, the piglets will also eat meal made from flies, crickets, and mealworms. Luigi Avantaggiato
Italian Cricket Farm, in Scalenghe, is turning house crickets like these into a flour for human consumption. Luigi Avantaggiato
Biologist Stefano Magnaghi desiccates house crickets, a first step to making flour. It takes 10 pounds of feed to produce 1 pound of beef, but less than 2 pounds of feed to produce 1 pound of crickets. Luigi Avantaggiato
A sample of cricket flour produced by Italian Cricket Farm, the largest insect farm in Italy. The flour is around two-thirds protein. A steak, by comparison, is about one-third protein. Luigi Avantaggiato
Desert locusts grown at Italian Cricket Farm that will be ground up and refined into animal feed. Luigi Avantaggiato
Luigi Avantaggiato is an Italian photographer. After earning a PhD in visual studies, he began working as a documentary photographer, with a strong interest in socio-anthropological and environmental transformations. See more at www.luigiavantaggiato.photography.
