This week we detail a new LCA showing that black soldier fly larvae are not a silver bullet for pig or poultry feed. We also report on KFC’s big investment in the UK as it looks to spread its wings further north.
First that research, which shows insect protein may not be the one-size-fits-all sustainable solution to animal feed that some are pitching it as. At least not yet.
A new life cycle assessment (LCA), produced by consultants Ricardo for Defra, found that the picture when comparing protein options for pig and poultry feed is far more nuanced than you might expect.
The research looked at the potential cradle-to-gate impacts of using the larvae from black soldier fly (BSFL) (Hermetia illucens) reared from both permitted sources (like wheat-based feed) and currently unpermitted sources (such as food waste and chicken manure).
The impacts of BSFL feed were assessed across 16 environmental impact categories, including climate change, acidification, ecotoxicity, land, and water use. The findings were then compared with the usual feed, like soybean meal grown in Brazil and transported to the UK, and fishmeal made from blue whiting caught off the Scottish coast.
And there was no clear ‘winner’, with no single meal type having the lowest potential impact for each of the 16 categories. The soybean meal does have the lowest values (least impact) in the majority of categories; but also has the highest impact in terms of water use. The traditional feed-fed insect meal has the highest impacts for 13 out of 16 main impact categories. Feed the insects on food waste, though, and this produces the lowest values for 14 out of 16 impact categories (with the chicken manure based insect feed sitting in between these).
“[…] insect protein may not currently be the solution to decarbonising the animal feed industry,” the consultants wrote in their report for Defra. “However, under the right production conditions and with an increased demand for the co- products of the insect meal system, it may have a place in the decarbonisation of animal feed, particularly when considered alongside other factors beyond the LCA such as overfishing or deforestation and indirect land use change for soybeans.”
Supporters of feeds like BSFL have long promoted the insects as a “sustainable feed solution”. Writing in the latest issue of Alternative Proteins Magazine, Thomas Stringer, CFO and cofounder of insect farming firm Flybox, pitched BSFL as a “smarter, welfare-focused approach to poultry nutrition. They provide producers with greater feed autonomy, improved animal welfare outcomes, and a reduced environmental footprint,” he added.
BSF larvae are renowned for their ability to promote natural poultry behaviour and provide a nutrient-rich, high-quality protein source enhanced with antimicrobial peptides. And Flybox is leading a £3m government-funded project with Nottingham Trent University to look at how to use AI and the insects to improve chicken welfare and reduce environmental impacts.
The poultry industry certainly faces persistent issues – including poor leg health, high mortality rates, and variable feed conversion ratios. Consistent pressure to produce more birds at ever-lower (economic) costs certainly hasn’t helped. And demand shows no sign of letting up if news from KFC this week is anything to go by.
Owner Yum! Brands has announced a £1.49bn investment in the UK and Ireland for KFC, which will mean 500 new restaurants in the next five years as well as upgrades to existing stores. More than 7,000 jobs will be created too. Some £404m will reportedly go into “strengthening KFC’s longstanding relationships with its suppliers”.
Does this mean extra cash for chicken welfare improvements too? And action to stop industrial farms that campaigners and locals say are polluting rivers?
This is a chain that has failed miserably to meet its commitments under the Better Chicken Commitment. It isn’t alone. And it isn’t the only chicken shop spreading its wings in order to expand a market that’s already worth £3.1bn here in the UK. Chains from the US like Wingstop and Popeyes have a spring in their step too.
Elsewhere in Footprint news this week we cover a new food redistribution project (that of course involves AI), a warning for purchasing managers who think they can spot greenwashing and the mystery of Scotland’s single-use cup charge:
