´You eat ants?´, ´You better believe it. And you´re gonna love the way they tickle´

Important results from the project

Our solution supports the zero-tolerance of food waste resulting from products approaching their expiration date. Products are primarily reprocessed into other consumer products (aka ´avoidable waste´), and any remaining elements used to support the farming of protein-rich insects or the production of nutritious fertilizer, to be used or allocated locally. In short, our system produces protein-rich, climate-efficient food and animal-feed - recycling nutrients in a local, closed circuit.

Expected long term effects

We have systematically-collected and assessed data on food waste from ICA Maxi University. We continue to gather and evaluate both quantitative and qualitatively data, but preliminary analysis illustrates this one supermarket creates 50 tons of waste per year in terms of fruit, vegetables, bread/bakery goods and dry goods. The production system we´ve designed reviews the effectiveness of three different insect species in processing varying qualities and type of of food waste. In the project, the three species are evaluated for their potential and role in this type of solution.

Approach and implementation

We will systematically test all parts of the production system and establish these into a working whole. The project will clarify the relationship between food waste and insects, as well as carry out sensory assessments and the testing of new products. In parallel we will collaborate with other existing research projects in order to explore and create synergies, as well as run a number of information-sharing workshops.