Thanks to Better Origin, feeding laying hens protein and fat from insects fed on food waste-rather than GMO soy from Brazil-saves and cuts greenhouse gas emissions in the poultry supply chain and provides consumers with sustainable short supply chain eggs. (1)
The Cambridge (UK) innovative startup ‘s project has made headlines thanks to the backing of Morrisons Group, the fifth largest retailer in Britain after Tesco, Sainsbury’s, ASDA, and Amazon with £17.8 billion in sales,(2.3). And it deserves to be developed, with different formulas, in Europe and around the world. Here’s why.
1) Raising insects in containers on fields.
The ten X1 containers of
Better Origin
, placed on the fields of as many poultry enterprises in Yorkshire (UK), enable the rearing ofblack soldier fly larvae(black soldier fly) that are used to provide the protein and lipid ration for laying hens. (4)
The benefits are many and significant:
- saving on raw material costs through self-production that brings value on the ground, affirms food sovereignty and removes the enterprise from the volatility of international commodity lists,
- animal welfare. Poultry species prefer insects, which have always been part of their diet. And they are thus spared from exposure to pesticide and agrotoxin residues that abound in agriculture in Brazil, (5)
- Carbon neutrality of feeds. Replacing soybeans with self-produced black soldier fly larvae on the 10 farms reduces CO2e emissions by 5,737 t/year, equivalent to that of 1,240 cars,
- circular economy. The black soldier fly is the Olympic champion of converting any organic waste into protein. The 10 farms will thus convert 1,500 t/year of food waste per year.
2) Automation and AI
Automation and AI (artificial intelligence) introduced by Better Origin in X1 containers use data collected from cameras and sensors to optimize farming conditions and protein and fat production.
‘The farmer doesn’t have to do anything but put in the waste and harvest the bugs when they are ready‘ (Fotis Fotiadis, co-founder and CEO of Better Origin).
Black soldier fly larvae can thus be fed to animals, providing them with a cheap, sustainable and healthy source of nutrition. And Better Origin manages the entire end-to-end, or waste-to-feed, process by charging farmers a monthly fee for the service.
3) The economic model
Better Origin
offers its farmer and breeder customers the opportunity to start insect breeding with a modular approach and progressive investment. A monthly fee covers a continuous supply of newborn larvae and 24/7 remote assistance from its engineering team.
This approach allows anyone to produce in a container the protein that is equivalent to the harvest of 0.15 hectares of soybean land, with the dual benefit of:
- save the inputs instead required for conventional soybean crops (soil, water, pesticides, herbicides, nitrogen fertilizers),
- Optimize production through sensors, automation, AI (artificial intelligence).
4) The role of large-scale retail trade in sustainable development
La
startup Better Origin
, founded in 2015, raised £16 million in investment from venture capital funds in April. (6) This will enable it to hire new staff and address international markets. But the big breakthrough is, on closer inspection, thanks to a major retailer like Morrisons who believed in the project and allowed it to be ‘grounded.’
The large-scale retail trade (GDO ) is the operator closest to the consumer today (beyond the rare and fortunate cases of direct sales of organic food from farmers and ranchers to consumers). Better than others, therefore, it can intercept their attitudes and promote virtuous consumption and production patterns with substantial impact on the environment and the community.
5) Eggs and sustainable development for all
Better Origin sustainable eggs are now sold at Morrisons, in about fifty stores in Yorkshire, for £1.5 in the box of 6. Therefore, their price is also sustainable by consumers. And if Morrisons decides to extend this approach to all supplies of its branded eggs, CO2 emissions could be cut to the extent of 33,000 t/year.
Reducing the demand for GMO soybeans from Brazil also means, among other things, alleviating the pressure on landgrabbing and deforestation that is known to still plague indigenous and local communities. (7) Better Origin ‘s mere 10 boxes on poultry farms in Yorkshire provide the protein that would otherwise require 56 hectares of soybean land in South America.
6) Aviculture, animal husbandry and sustainable development.
FAO lists poultry farming as the leading livestock sector for animal protein production. Consumption of poultry meat and eggs has increased fivefold, globally, over the past 60 years. And it is estimated they may increase further, in step with population growth and vertically increasing urbanization. (8)
Sustainable development of animal husbandry is a pressing need to which the FAO (2019) itself has devoted a special report with five key recommendations. (9) Also considering, in its report The Future of Food Safety (FAO, 2022), the essential roles of insects and technology. (10)
7) Animal husbandry and sustainable development
The game-changers already now available to livestock operators are essentially two, in this writer’s opinion:
- insect farming, to reduce food waste and achieveupcycling (virtuous recovery) of organic waste through its conversion into protein, fat, fiber and micronutrients. (11) With both destinations, food and feed, (12)
- the administration to animals of compounds of algae, microalgae and florotannins (e.g., Algatan) that can strengthen their immune systems, lower the use of veterinary antibiotics and thus mitigate antibiotic resistance. (13)
#SDG2, Zero hunger. #SDG3, Good health and well-being. #SDG12, Sustainable consumption and production. #SDG13, Climate action. #SDG15, Life on land.
Dario Dongo
Notes
(1)
Morrisons to Reduce Soya Use on Road to Carbon Neutral Eggs.
. Morrisons.
(2) Retail economics (August 2022).
Top 10 UK Retailers
.
(3) Jon Middleton. Hens will be fed insects to lay carbon-neutral eggs for Morrisons. The Guardian. 1.8.22,
(4) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna.
Black soldier fly larvae, proteins and oils from organic wastes.
. (Great Italian Food Trade). 11.4.22
(5) Dario Dongo. Brazil, deforestation is compounded by pesticide carnage. Unsustainable EU-Mercosur Agreement. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 21.4.21
(6) Jack Ellis.
Better Origin banks $16m in Balderton-led Series A for its AI insect mini-farms
. AgFunderNetwork. 4.7.22,
(7) Dario Dongo, Isis Consuelo Sanlucar Chirinos.
Land grabbing and deforestation in Brazil, the barbarities continue.
. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 20.5.22
(8) Dario Dongo, Alessandra Mei. Poultry and eggs, global demand on the rise. The challenge of sustainability. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 3.2.20
(9) Dario Dongo, Marina De Nobili.
Animal husbandry, FAO proposes 5 areas of action to reduce greenhouse gas emissions.
. GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade) 29.8.20
(10) Isis Consuelo Sanlucar Chirinos.
The Future of Food Safety, the FAO 2022 report.
GIFT(Great Italian Food Trade) 23.3.22.
(11) The EU research project #EcoeFISHent, in which we are honored to participate, also involves the use of the black soldier fly to convert fish waste into feedstock. V. Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. EcoeFISHent, upcycling and blue economy in the fish supply chain. The EU research project. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 18.10.21
(12) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna. Protein for the future, novel food. Challenges and opportunities in EU. FARE(Food and Agriculture Requirements). 15.12.21
(13) Dario Dongo, Andrea Adelmo Della Penna.
Antibiotic-free poultry farming, the Italian way.
. GIFT (Great Italian Food Trade). 14.12.20
Dario Dongo, lawyer and journalist, PhD in international food law, founder of WIISE (FARE - GIFT - Food Times) and Égalité.
