IAEA launches five-year project to strengthen insect feed safety

EUROPE – The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) has launched a five-year research project to strengthen the safety assessment of edible insects and other novel foods, supporting the development of alternative protein ingredients for food and animal feed.

The initiative, led by the Joint FAO/IAEA Centre of Nuclear Techniques in Food and Agriculture, will bring together researchers internationally to investigate biological, chemical and physical hazards associated with insect production, processing and storage.

The animal feed industry is increasingly exploring insect-based ingredients as potential alternatives to conventional protein sources.

Insect meal, particularly from species such as black soldier fly larvae, is increasingly being investigated for use in poultry, aquaculture and livestock diets because of its protein content and potential to make use of organic by-products.

However, wider adoption will depend not only on nutritional performance but also on feed safety, traceability, contamination control and consistent production standards.

Safety remains a barrier to insect feed expansion

The IAEA says insects can present biological and chemical safety challenges depending on how they are produced, processed and stored. 

High moisture levels can create conditions favourable to microbial growth, while insects may also accumulate contaminants from their rearing substrates or surrounding environment.

These risks are particularly important for feed manufacturers because contaminants or pathogens introduced through an insect-based ingredient can move further along the livestock and aquaculture value chain.

The new project will investigate known and emerging hazards and examine how production and processing practices influence safety outcomes. 

It will also work towards developing and validating harmonised analytical methods that can support risk assessment and regulatory decision-making.

This could help address one of the challenges facing the commercial insect-feed industry: the absence of consistent approaches for assessing and monitoring safety across different production systems and markets.

Growing interest in alternative feed proteins

The research comes as feed manufacturers increasingly explore alternative proteins to improve the resilience and sustainability of feed supply chains.

Insect production can offer opportunities to convert organic side streams into protein and other valuable nutrients. 

The approach has attracted particular interest in Africa, where companies are developing black soldier fly production for use in poultry and aquaculture feed.

Locally produced insect protein could reduce African feed producers’ dependence on imported protein ingredients while creating value from agricultural and food-processing by-products. 

Commercial viability, however, will depend on production scale, substrate availability, processing costs, nutritional consistency and regulatory acceptance.

The IAEA’s focus on safety could therefore help address an important part of the equation as insect-based feed ingredients move from research and pilot projects towards larger-scale commercial applications.

The agency’s broader work with FAO also includes the application of nuclear and related analytical techniques to food safety, including the detection and monitoring of contaminants and authenticity issues.

The project is open to research organisations worldwide, with the IAEA planning to award up to 15 research contracts and at least five research agreements.

The findings could provide the scientific evidence needed to develop safer insect protein ingredients and strengthen regulatory frameworks.

This could increase confidence in alternative feed proteins as the industry seeks more resilient and sustainable nutrition sources.