“Flies?! Are you crazy, you want me to eat flies!?”
Hold on, hold on, let’s get a few things cleared up right away.
First, you don’t eat the flies, you eat the larvae. We’ll get to that in a minute.
Second, the Black Soldier Fly is NOT a pest, like the common house flies you’re probably thinking of that land on poop and then immediately head straight for your potato salad.
Black Soldier Flies are not pests, at all, and they pose virtually no danger to humans. And they do come in colors other than black, but the black ones are the most widely used.
The adults have no mouths and thus they do not feed (so no regurgitating their food), bite, or spread disease, and they only live long enough to mate and lay eggs. The commercial and environmental value is in the larvae which emerge from those eggs and begin to eat everything they can get their mouths on, converting that food source – which is usually organic food waste – into valuable nutritious protein.
Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) end up being around 55% protein, and they’re rich in fatty acids which are also extracted and used for feed. The makeup of the lipids is similar to linseed oil, and they are high in lauric acid which is useful for fighting infections.
BSFL are a non-GMO food source, beneficial to digestive health and leading to reduction of antibiotic and supplement use in poultry, while also producing higher feed conversion rates. Aquaculture and poultry farmers can spend as much as 60% of production costs on feed, making it a high priority to get right. Studies show better health results for fish and poultry from higher quality feed stock like BSF than from soy or fishmeal.
So they’re a great source of feed for both poultry and fish – not only because they’re instinctively a natural part of a fish or chicken diet, but because they’re a healthier alternative, and their use reduces the use of extremely unsustainable fishmeal and soymeal which are currently used for commercial production.
With the rise of pet allergies, BSFL can also be a healthy, non-allergenic alternative good for cats & dogs! Companies are already using BSFL in pet foods and pet treats because it’s significantly more healthy than many other common pet food ingredients, and exponentially better for the planet.
BLACK SOLDIER FLY LARVAE FOR UPCYCLING
We live in a world where some 800 million people still struggle with malnutrition and food security, and yet more than 33% of the food produced each year globally is thrown away, a horrifying statistic that should make everyone look at their eating habits more closely.
Not only is this an irresponsible waste of 1.6 billion tons of food valued in the trillions of dollars, but it contributes immensely to producing harmful greenhouse gasses due to all that rotting organic food waste.
And while food waste is a global problem that will require all industries connected to food production, distribution, and sales to make a concerted effort to find new solutions, BSFL are a definite part of the solution. The larvae are extremely efficient at upcycling organic food waste and converting it into Feed.
BSFL have a rapid conversion of organic waste to protein, as the larvae can be harvested in 2-3 weeks after hatching. But beyond that, the larvae have a unique ability to reduce or even eliminate E.coli, Salmonella, and even organic pollutants!
Additionally, the larvae produce excrement called frass, which is itself usable as an organic fertilizer. This in essence is turning environmentally harmful food waste into:
- Nutritious protein feed for poultry, fish, and pets
- Organic fertilizer for use in organic vegetable production
All while removing bacteria and other contaminants, and rapidly converting organic waste into protein, waste which would otherwise be negatively contributing greenhouse gasses to climate change.
There have been more studies done on BSFL the past couple of years alone than in the previous decades prior, and because of these advances in scientific understanding combined with new technology, companies are now able to maximize the life-cycle of the insect. and the production of healthy feeds.
With investment money pouring into the space, more than $400 million since 2016, companies are now beginning to be able to produce large enough quantities of nutritious feed to actually make a difference in the aquaculture and poultry industries.
Eventually, BSFL will be able to reduce the planet’s dependence on highly damaging soymeal for the poultry industry – the Amazon rainforest is being destroyed for soybean farms, 70% of which goes to animal feed – and fishmeal, which is beyond unsustainable and highly overfished already.
BSFL FOR INSECT…ICE CREAM?
And what about for people food – can you eat Black Soldier Fly Larvae? The answer is a definite yes! With a caveat – because the larvae are eating and converting organic food waste, regulations in some western countries have prohibited the sale of BSFL products for human consumption to this point.
But just as ‘legality does not equal morality’, whether or not governmental bodies say it’s ‘ok’ to consume something, doesn’t indicate whether or not that natural thing is actually good or bad to eat. Or use – case in point, cannabis products…
Other places in the world do not have any such regulations, and thus products are on the market – because it’s an incredibly nutritious and delicious food! BSFL taste great when toasted, similar to mealworms or crickets you can snack on them all day, guilt-free.
There are other ingenious uses as well, such as using the lipids (fats) to replace palm oil and other environmentally damaging base ingredients. Check out Gourmet Grubb, which is making rich, creamy, dairy-free ice cream out of Black Soldier Fly Larvae.
You’re likely going to hear a lot more about these insects over the next few years as the media begins to understand the story of what they provide us in terms of sustainable solutions for animal feed, human food, and organic waste conversion.
So keep an open mind, remember that these flies are a good species with virtually no downside, and consider the positive impact that these bugs can have on the global ecosystem and on your health.
Love your planet.
Love your body.
Love your food.
#EatBugs
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