Open AccessOpinion
Overcoming Technical and Market Barriers to Enable Sustainable Large-Scale Production and Consumption of Insect Proteins in Europe: A SUSINCHAIN Perspective
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Wageningen Livestock Research, P.O. Box 338, 6700 AH Wageningen, The Netherlands
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Wageningen Food Safety Research, P.O. Box 230, 6700 AE Wageningen, The Netherlands
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CIVIC Consulting GMBH, Potsdamer Strasse 150, 10783 Berlin, Germany
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INAGRO, Ieperseweg 87, 8800 Roselare, Belgium
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Research Group for Insect Production and Processing, Department of Microbial and Molecular Systems (M2S), Geel Campus, KU Leuven, Kleinhoefstraat 4, 2440 Geel, Belgium
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Department of Agricultural, Forest, and Food Sciences, Università degli Studi di Torino, Largo P. Braccini 2, 10095 Grugliasco, Italy
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Department of Nutrition, Exercise and Sports, University of Copenhagen, Rolighedsvej 26, 1958 Frederiksberg, Denmark
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German Institute of Food technologies (DIL e.V.), Prof. Von Klitzing Strasse 7, 49610 Quakenbrueck, Germany
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Sociedade Portuguesa de Inovacao Consultadoria Empresarial e Fomento da Inovacao SA, Av Marechal Gomes da Costa, 1376 Porto, Portugal
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Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Academic Editor: Brian T. Forschler
Received: 14 February 2022
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Revised: 1 March 2022
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Accepted: 10 March 2022
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Published: 12 March 2022
Simple Summary
Insects are increasingly being used in Europe as a new or alternative source of protein for both direct human consumption and ingredients for feed and food production. Upscaling edible insect production and processing to a sustainable industrial sector is critical to supply the market and meet the foreseen future demands. In a market where transition to more sustainable protein sources is one of the primary challenges, sustainable insect products can contribute to a circular and sustainable economy as well as food security. SUSINCHAIN (SUStainable INsect CHAIN) is a European Horizon 2020 project that aims to contribute to overcome technical and market barriers to enable sustainable large-scale production and consumption of insect proteins in Europe by generating and sharing knowledge, as well as testing, piloting, and demonstrating newly developed insect chain innovations and increasing societal engagement. This article provides an outline of the various obstacles to upscaling of the insect sector and the project’s contributions to overcome these. The project covers the topics of: market opportunities, consumer perception, optimization of insect rearing conditions and substrates, insect transportation and processing techniques, application of insect products in food and feed, food safety issues in insect production and processing, together with economic and environmental sustainability. The project’s outcomes will provide tools for scaling up and commercializing the European insect sector.