Frequently Asked Questions

What is insect farming?

The large-scale breeding, raising, and processing of insects for non-human and human animal feed. We use the term “insect farming industry” to refer to the companies and investors who support and facilitate this farming.

Isn’t insect farming a climate solution?

While insect farming has been proposed as a climate solution, there are many unaddressed environmental and public health concerns. 

Disease Transmission

Insect populations raised for food, especially crickets, carry high rates of pathogens and parasites that can kill most individual insects before they reach harvestable size. There is also concern about these diseases spreading to wild insect populations if facilities do not properly handle their waste. 

Food Safety Concerns

Food produced using farmed insects may cause allergic reactions in people with shellfish allergies. Insects raised on animal waste may contain high levels of heavy metals such as iron, copper, zinc, mercury, arsenic, cadmium, and lead.

Inefficiency and Resource Usage

While insect-based alternative proteins are being marketed as competing with resource-intensive traditional meat sources, they are actually projected to compete with low-resource-intensive foods such as pasta, breads, and biscuits. They are less efficient than plant-based protein sources such as soybeans. 

Ecological Impact

The potential release of disease, non-native species, and genetically modified organisms from insect farming facilities into the wild could have unpredictable and devastating effects on local ecosystems. 

What about cultural practices that include eating insects?

The primary goal of SPI is to stop the growth of insect factory farming, an unsustainable practice that props up other threats to insect species, including loss of biodiversity, pesticides, land use, and climate change. We are not focused on opposing the cultural practice of entomophagy.

What are pesticides and what do they do?

Pesticides are chemicals that harm or kill insects, rodents, fungi, weeds, and microorganisms to protect crops. Some pesticides, like neonicotinoids, are systemic and remain in the offspring of the plant they were sprayed on. Many non-target species are harmed and killed by neonics, which are cited in recent bee population declines. They attack the nervous system of organisms, leading to paralysis before death.

What can the average person do to support insects?

Community Science

Also called citizen science, community science is a type of research that includes people not trained in traditional science. Participants can log their observations of flora and fauna so that the professional science community can use their data in academic research. Check out the app iNaturalist to start recording your observations. 

Plant Native Plants

Many wild insects that co-evolved with native plants face threats from habitat loss and climate change. Supporting these plant populations can provide vital food, shelter, and nesting areas for them. 

Avoid Using Pesticides

If you are a home gardener or farmer, reducing your pesticide usage can greatly help your local insects. These chemicals can leak into nearby water sources and soils, expanding the range of their harm beyond your neighborhood. Research alternate methods of ensuring your plants’ health, such as building healthy soil with compost and planting the right plants for your garden’s shade, slope, and precipitation.