Abstract
Edible insects recycle food waste, which can help feed a hungrier planet by making food systems more circular and diversifying protein production. The potential for entomophagy (i.e., insect cuisine) to contribute to waste recycling and lower input food production is only beginning to be explored in the U.S., although insects have been consumed by people for millennia in a wide range of cultures. In this perspective piece, we consider as a case study the potential for university foodservice programs in New England to serve as incubators for circular entomophagous food systems. Students are likely early adopters of entomophagy because they increasingly demand sustainable non-meat protein options. University foodservices meanwhile purchase large amounts of food wholesale from local producers, utilize standardized pre-processing, and generate consistent waste streams which may be valuable feed for local insect farmers. Current Farm to Institution approaches strengthen regional food systems by connecting small farmers with university foodservices; we argue that a similar model (Farm to Institution to Farm) could support establishment of local insect farms, introduce edible insects to a relatively receptive base of university student customers, and provide a more sustainable mechanism for repurposing university food waste as insect feed. But to enable this type of food system, additional requirements include: (1) research on domestication of native insect species; (2) investment in processing capacity, ensuring new insect farmers have reliable markets for raw insect products; (3) infrastructure to recirculate waste streams within existing food systems; and (4) creation of recipes that entice new insect consumers.
Highlights
The 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on modern food systems that are fragile, inefficient, and unsustainable (e.g., Niles et al, 2020)
For economic and social sustainability, current successful farm to institution mechanisms across New England can serve as models for circular food systems that are profitable for insect farmers, accessible to institutional buyers, and meet the demands of a growing cohort of environmentally- and socially-conscious consumers
We develop a model for incorporating edible insects into a New England university system where circular farm to institution connections might be established and potential early adopters of entomophagy might be reached (Figure 1)
Summary
The 2020–2021 COVID-19 pandemic has shed light on modern food systems that are fragile, inefficient, and unsustainable (e.g., Niles et al, 2020). For economic and social sustainability, current successful farm to institution mechanisms across New England can serve as models for circular food systems that are profitable for insect farmers, accessible to institutional buyers, and meet the demands of a growing cohort of environmentally- and socially-conscious consumers. Given the development of a viable entomoculture-based circular food system requires (a) simultaneous investment and expansion of production, processing, distribution, marketing, and waste recovery, and (b) sufficient market scale to support financially viable systems, we argue that a farm to institution framework might be used to connect insect farmers who need reliable demand for unprocessed insects with receptive audiences at a large scale. Institution to Farm and Farm to Institution mechanisms might efficiently both use the same infrastructure and distribution channels, in opposite directions (Figure 1)
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