When Enterra Feed Corp., a company producing animal feed from black soldier flies, announced expanding production from British Columbia into Alberta with expectations to build across Canada eventually. I was immediately intrigued.
For some context, Enterra Feed was the first company in Canada to obtain regulatory approval to use flies in animal feed ingredients. The feeding of flies seems rather sci-fi in nature. Still, the process is a rather environmentally interesting one, which creates a steady supply of protein while dealing with something we humans produce a lot of -- waste.
The Alberta plant uses 130 tonnes of food waste per day to make 10 tonnes of ingredients, reports a story at www.producer.com. The story noted company Chief executive officer Keith Driver said the flies convert pre-consumer food waste and other agricultural residues into high-value proteins. The resulting products are fed to poultry, fish, pets, wild birds and some to swine. From egg to fully-grown larvae, the black soldier fly grows about one million percent in just a few weeks, he said. As a byproduct, the larvae’s manure, another 10 to 15 tonnes, is sold as an organic fertilizer.
Imagine on a world-wide basis how much food waste is generated. It has to be in the millions of pounds. While much of it may be a compostable waste, feeding it to flies generates a protein source for livestock.
There is certainly some debate, of course, about whether growing grain for livestock is sustainable when the human population continues to grow and will need food. It is conceivable that humans could consume fly protein in their food, although the marketing required to make it an accepted ingredient would be daunting.
Certainly, bugs, in general, are a largely untapped protein source, especially in Europe and North America, with almost no history of consuming bugs for food.
The potential to raise bugs, on a mostly garbage diet in some cases, can deal with the mounting issue of garbage and can be an important protein source.
It seems a bit creepy on its surface, but innovative solutions to dealing with waste and feeding livestock and humans will require some bold initiatives moving forward.
It will take innovation, of course, and work to deal with the reaction that we might be eating bugs or even feeding our stock a bug protein, but the potential is far too large not to head down that road.
- Calvin Daniels
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Disclaimer: opinions expressed are those of the writer.