This summary was prepared by Hamed Kioumarsi, EBM at Springer Nature, in collaboration with Bahareh Rafiei (Plant Protection Research Department, Gilan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Rasht, Iran) and Ali Maddahian (Animal Science Research Department, Gilan Agricultural and Natural Resources Research and Education Center, AREEO, Rasht, Iran).
Citation: Kioumarsi, H., Rafiei , B., & Maddahian, A. (2026). Use of Insects in Animal Nutrition and Their Implications for Climate Change. Springer Nature Communities. https://go.nature.com/4tV1vAW
Abstract
Rising consumer demand for animal proteins, along with the environmental costs associated with livestock farming, have made alternative sources of animal feed such as insects an area of increased research interest. Insects as a feed source have received particular attention in the field of sustainable animal nutrition, owing to their high nutrient content, low resource consumption, and ability to alleviate some of the adverse effects of climate change. This literature review aims to highlight the use of insects in animal feed and evaluate their environmental impact, especially concerning greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and land use. Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), and crickets, among others, are high in proteins, lipids, vitamins, and minerals. Therefore, they represent feasible alternatives for animal feed components that traditionally include soybean meal and fishmeal, among others. They are known to have favorable amino acid compositions and digestibility rates that enable comparable growth efficiency and better feed utilization than conventionally used feeds. Also, raising insects is much more land-efficient and consumes less water than raising livestock. In addition, they can be fed organic waste as part of their substrate. As far as climate change is concerned, insect-based food is typically considered less harmful for the environment compared to ruminants because it generates fewer GHG emissions. Insect production has been shown to involve lower levels of emissions of both methane and nitrous oxide owing to poikilothermic nature of insects and their high feed efficiency. Moreover, farming insects may help lessen demand for feed and, thus, help prevent deforestation and biodiversity destruction connected with feed crop cultivation. Nevertheless, it should be pointed out that the potential environmental benefits of insect-based feed are dependent on context and not a guarantee for all cases. Recent research has indicated that industrial scale insect production can be less eco-friendly compared to other processes because high-quality feed inputs can be used instead of organic waste; therefore, the sustainability of insect-based products can be reduced in terms of carbon footprint. Moreover, the energy needed for regulating the temperature, processing, and drying can be another source of increased CO2 emissions.
Moreover, one of the main challenges of insect-based products is their capability to contribute to global efforts aimed at mitigating climate change through reducing GHG emissions. Although the utilization of insect-based feed instead of fish or soybean meal can be environmentally beneficial for certain industries (such as aquaculture), the effect of the insect-based approach on GHG emissions in general can be limited unless there are changes in diets and farming practices.
In summary, insects have emerged as a sustainable animal feed ingredient that is likely to make a contribution to mitigating climate change by virtue of their high resource efficiency and low environmental impact. However, the viability of insects as a viable animal feed source will depend on the manner of production, feed substrate used, and overall system design. Further studies should therefore be geared towards solving such issues.
References
Biteau, C., Bry-Chevalier, T., Crummett, D. et al. Beyond the buzz: insect-based foods are unlikely to significantly reduce meat consumption. npj Sustain. Agric. 3, 35 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s44264-025-00075-z
Kichamu, N., Astuti, P. K., & Kusza, S. (2025). The Role of Insect-Based Feed in Mitigating Climate Change: Sustainable Solutions for Ruminant Farming. Insects, 16(5), 516. https://doi.org/10.3390/insects16050516
Kioumarsi, H., Naseri Harsini, R., Özbey, B. G., Rafiei, B., Alidoust Pahmedani, M., Shariman Yahaya, Z., & Rosen, M. A. (2026). Wildlife, biodiversity, and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: Synergizing conservation and development for a sustainable future. European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 10(2), Article em0367. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/17816
Rosen, A. R., Kioumarsi, H., & Gholipour Fereidouni, H. (2025). Climate action and net-zero emissions. European Journal of Sustainable Development Research, 9(4), em0334. https://doi.org/10.29333/ejosdr/16864
van Huis, A., & Oonincx, D. G. A. B. (2017). The environmental sustainability of insects as food and feed: A review. Agronomy for Sustainable Development, 37, 43. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-017-0452-8
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