While the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic spread and put the entire planet in isolation, in Brazil, Fabricio began to imagine how he could implement a bio-factory for the production of insects for human consumption.

Get to know Fabricio’s ideas and join Insector with us!

The Insector project appears…

… in response to some issues that were highlighted during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. It was more than proven that with the reduction of the exploitation of natural resources, Nature is able to recover and it is important to promote respect for the environment and environmental sustainability for all of us. Food-raising campaigns for families that became unemployed due to the pandemic and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) warning of an increase in population in the coming years and a shortage of food in the future were also reasons that aroused in Fabricio, the desire to implement an activity with the fewest possible resources, saving water and energy, with a reduced ecological footprint, that would help both animals and humans, with health benefits and that did not need very large places for the industrial production.

Insector’s mission…

… involves offering to the market the most sustainable protein in the world, respecting legal, environmental issues, animals and all the resources used.

At this moment Insector…

… spread information on the project’s social networks and demystifies the use of the edible insect in human food.

The future goals are the commercialization of beetle’s larvae (Tenebrio molitor), live and dehydrated or frozen larvae and the organic fertilizer generated by the excretion of larvae and beetles throughout their breeding process. Part of the profits generated in the future by the biofactory, will be used to donate food to the most needy: www.vakinha.com.br/vaquinha/producao-proteina-de-insetos-p-racao-animal-parte-sera-doada. In traditional biofabrics, the most common food for larvae nutrition is wheat bran and other cereals. Insector intends to use organic products directly from stakeholders farms, thus tracking its production from the acquisition of raw materials to the end of the supply chain, ensuring that the production of insects follows food safety standards.

Fabricio Batista…

… is responsible for the Insector project and has a degree in Administration with an emphasis on International Trade.

For Fabricio, the creation of insects for human consumption is a sustainable system because…

… the larvae have a high degree of protein in relation to beef, as well as amino acids, B vitamins, etc. With this type of breeding it is possible to drastically reduce the use of natural resources such as water and energy, and to reduce the ecological footprint of protein production, while also avoiding the deforestation needed to produce the same weight of protein in beef. It is possible to reduce world hunger by serving insects in the form of various foods, other than the larvae itself, to those who do not have access to food, such as flour, pasta / paste, cereal / protein bars, snacks, etc. Thus, this type of production has health and nutritional, environmental and social advantages.

There are still some resistance to this type of project, such as…

… the absence of legislation that authorizes the marketing of edible insects throughout the Brazilian territory; in the west the population resists the consumption of insects, due to preconceived ideas that are attributed to the food consumption of insects; lack of disclosure of communication channels and little political will on the part of government agencies and regulatory agencies to create laws. The only way to offer insects for food is through restaurants or gastronomic events, previously authorized by the government agency and the production must be handmade. If the company sells insects without prior authorization, the fine in Brazil is R $500 or USD $100 per larvae.

Nationally and internationally, insect production…

… is mostly applied to animal feed: birds, lizards, primates and fish. This is due to the absence of legislation and the unfounded prejudice that exists with the consumption of insects. Despite all the problems associated with the implementation of this type of business, Thailand, China, South Africa, Holland, France, USA already have insect production companies with some dimension, being future competitors to Brazilian products, if one day human consumption is properly regulated.

For Fabricio, the best way for societies to awaken to food sustainability…

… is instructing children and their parents on ways of sustainable food consumption. “It is necessary to have a will, only the will and that is the will of adults!” Governors from all countries of the world must mobilize, focus and promote activities related to food sustainability. “We little ones help a lot, we do the little ant work, sun by sun, but if the big ones don’t want to, it takes longer and more complicated to reach the goal".

Overcoming the unwillingness to change due to economic power and lobbies is essential for us to have a more sustainable global food systems.

Get to know Insector better on:

Instagram: @insector.br