Finding new alternative sources of protein is a focus to sustainably ensure access to nutritious food for a global population of nine billion in 2040. Dried insects often contain over 50% protein and are part of the diet for almost two billion people worldwide. Meanwhile, in the West, insect meal is emerging as a protein addition in bread, breakfast cereals, snack bars, ice cream, biscuits and milk alternatives. Do insects have the potential to become an important source of protein?
This report comes in PPT.
Asia Pacific has a good climate for insect production, and snacking on whole insects is a traditional occurrence in many parts of the region. However, this tradition is fading along with urbanisation with much of the growing middle class preferring more westernised diets. Branded and packaged insect products attempt to revive insect eating in cities but recent launches remain niche.
Pet food, fish feed, sports protein and dry packaged food hold the highest potential for insect-derived ingredient protein, but each category comes with its own set of competitive pressures to be handled. Often it is the squeeze between being less sustainable than plants and not being desirable like animal-based protein sources that causes most consumers to select non-insect options in multi-option surveys.
In general, surveys and experiments have found men to be more accepting of edible insects than women, who instead are slightly more likely to seek out vegan labels. This mirrors how men are more likely to prefer sports protein powder and bars as a protein source, especially in Europe. As such, insect sports protein may find a positioning as the non-whey alternative for men.
In meat substitutes, the choice of protein source is the biggest product differentiation tool used by producers right now. Insect protein may take a part of this ingredient market simply by positioning its novelty as a unique selling point in Europe and America. Surveys indicate that insects may be able to score points from sensation- seeking consumers, but the products themselves need to be at least as good as the advanced wet extruded plant-based burgers that consumers are getting used to as a standard.
In packaged food we consider two aspects of food sales: 1) Retail sales. 2) Foodservice. Retail sales is defined as sales through establishments primarily engaged in the sale of fresh, packaged and prepared foods for home preparation and consumption. This excludes hotels, restaurant, cafés, duty free sales and institutional sales (canteens, prisons/jails, hospitals, army, etc). Our retail definition EXCLUDES the purchase of food products from foodservice outlets for consumption off-premises, eg impulse confectionery bought from counters of cafés/bars. This falls under foodservice sales. For foodservice, we capture all sales to foodservice outlets, regardless of whether the products are eventually consumed on-premise or off-premise. Foodservice sales is defined as sales to consumer foodservice outlets that serve the general public in a non-captive environment. Outlets include cafés/bars, FSR (full-service restaurants), fast food, 100% home delivery/takeaway, self-service cafeterias and street stalls/kiosks. Sales to semicaptive foodservice outlets are also included. This describes outlets located in leisure, travel and retail environments. 1) Retail refers to units located in retail outlets such as department stores, shopping malls, shopping centres, super/hypermarkets etc. 2) Leisure refers to units located in leisure establishments such as museums, health clubs, cinemas, theatres, theme parks and sports stadiums. 3) Travel refers to units located in based in airports, rail stations, coach stations, motorway service stations offering gas facilities etc. Beyond the scope of the foodservice research are captive foodservice units that serve captive populations around institutions such as hospitals, schools, and prisons. This is also known as institutional sales.
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