AgriProtein has been named the BBC Food Chain Global Champion for its flagship product MagMeal™, a protein substitute for fishmeal made from fly larvae reared on food waste.
The Food Chain Global Champion is a new category for this year\'s prestigious BBC Food & Farming Awards 2017, and recognizes outstanding work that is challenging established methods and practices to secure the future.
“The culture of food, the science, technology, politics and business associated with food are key concerns to our worldwide audience,\" stated Steve Titherington BBC World Service Sr. Commissioning Editor. \"Our Global Champion Award highlights both the challenges and fascinating successes being created by individuals around the world.”
“Insects are the protein of the future, so it’s great to see AgriProtein already doing it for animal feed,\" exclaimed Pierre Thiam, New York based chef, restaurateur and author. \"Raising flies on food waste is just brilliant, because nothing need go to waste anymore. This so-called waste is feeding the animals that will feed the world.”
Mr Thiam was part of an independent panel of award judges, chaired by food writer Madhur Jaffrey, that included Polly Russell (Curator at the British Library), Mark Rosegrant (director of the environment and production technology division at the International Food Policy Research Institute) and Shashi Sareen (food safety expert, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations).
“Insect protein is an idea whose time has come and we are now producing it at an industrial scale,\" stated Jason Drew, AgriProtein co-founder and CEO Jason Drew. \"This award is a vote of confidence in the waste-to-nutrient industry.”
“Trawling for fishmeal is one of the most destructive activities on the planet,\" continued Drew. \"Replacing it in animal feed is good news for the environment and means more of the world’s dwindling population of wild fish can be harvested sustainably for human consumption. By using existing waste to rear fly larvae, we’re reducing the greenhouse gases and pollution caused by organic landfill.”
New EU regulations permit the use of insect-based nutrients in aquafeed since 1 July 2017, while other geographies already permit its wider use in agriculture and petfood.
AgriProtein, which recently announced the move to a London HQ, has fly farm projects under development in several countries to produce MagMeal™ for the $100 billion aquafeed market and ultimately for poultry, pigs and petfood.
