Insects as food and feed: can research and business work together?

Abstract

There is an apparent incongruence between businesses and researchers targeting insects for food and feed. With the Novel Foods Application looming, legislative hurdles to insects in animal feed and the uncertainty of Brexit, businesses and researchers find themselves questioning whether a collaborative partnership is worth pursuing. Discussion with experts on both sides highlighted the main tension points and possible paths to reconciliation. The key differences were established as views on end goals, access to resources, inherent personal risk and communication of findings. Ultimately, for the marriage of business and research to survive it must be recognised how similarities, however limited, work together rather than how differences divide.