BC firm using $6 million from feds to scale up sustainable insect production, reduce food waste

Enterra Feed Corporation received $6 million in federal funding to build a full-scale commercial facility just north of Calgary to grow insects for animal feed and plant fertilizer – the first facility of its kind in Canada.

“There really isn't anything like this that is around in Canada,” Bruce Jowett, director of marketing for Enterra, explained about the significance of the facility in an interview with Research Money.

Announced January 18, the repayable contribution from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s AgriInnovation Program supported the construction of a 17,500-square-metre production facility that raises black soldier flies. While the facility itself was completed in January 2020, this $6 million funding helped the company with commissioning the equipment inside.

Enterra’s proprietary farming techniques replicate the natural lifecycle of black soldier flies, using pre-consumer waste food to feed the larvae. This recycled food, including fruits, vegetables and grains, is collected from local farms, grocery stores and food production facilities, reducing what ends up in landfills. The larvae are then dried and processed into feed ingredients for the pet foot, poultry, fish and wild bird markets.

Founded in 2007, the Maple Ridge, BC company was the first in Canada licensed to use and commercially produce insects for animal feed.

Bugged out

While the facility is a first, companies using bugs as a sustainable source of food is not. In July 2020, London, Ontario-based Aspire Food Group announced that it would likely complete the largest facility in the world to raise crickets for pet food and protein supplements by the end of 2021.

Companies like Enterra and Aspire are tackling several compounding problems. As the world’s population grows, humans will need to look to alternative sources of protein beyond meat. According to one study from scientific journal Agronomy for Sustainable Development, the demand for meat products is expected to increase by over 75% in 2050. About 80% of the world’s agricultural land is currently used for animal grazing or the production of livestock feed and fodder.

Livestock also decreases food supply, since grains fed to pigs and poultry could be used for human consumption, the report noted, while livestock itself is a major contributor to climate change.

In comparison, Enterra can reduce its carbon footprint in a smaller space. “Our footprint is relatively small compared to protein production through other sources. We’re getting more pounds of proteins off of a small area,” Jowett says, adding that because the black soldier flies live off fruit and vegetable waste rich in moisture, it can reduce water consumption.

Since Enterra uses food waste to feed the insects, it can help Canada tackle another problem. Over half, or 35.5 million tonnes, of Canada's food supply is lost or wasted annually, and $49.5 billion of that wasted food is avoidable. Through its facility, Enterra is able to recycle more than 130 tonnes of food waste per day — helping it reduce the eight per cent of all greenhouse gases worldwide produced because of food waste.

Insects can also be a sustainable source of protein for humans, as they are high in protein and require less land, water and food than meat factories. Humans have been eating bugs for thousands of years, and delicacies based on bugs are enjoyed around the world — but in the west, there’s still some hesitation.

“There are different cultures around the world that a big part of their diet is based on insect-based food ingredients,” says Jowett. “Within North America, that's a bit slower to develop.”

Still, Enterra is working towards getting human-grade certification for its products, “to show the rigour that we put into the manufacturing of our products.”

Putting food policy into practice

The $6-million investment comes nearly two years after the Canadian government announced the country’s first-ever Food Policy, which earmarked $134 million in initial investments until 2024 to coordinate policies ensuring sustainable access to healthy food for all Canadians. As part of this initiative, the government noted that “social and technological innovation that promotes progress on food policy outcomes,” should be supported.

One of its most recent programs for entrepreneurs is the $20-million Food Reduction Challenge, which closed applications for its first two streams on January 18. Up to $10.8 million will be awarded to businesses that can reduce food waste.

Enterra currently ships its products across North America and the European Union, representing a potential new export for the government to support, since it’s focused on making clean energy and sustainable products part of its path to net-zero in 2050.

“Our hope is that we can drive even greater production out of this facility,” says Jowett. Enterra expects to open more facilities both within and outside of Canada in the future.

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