On November 17th, 2024, the First China Insect Protein Industry Conference was successfully held in Beijing, gathering more than 450 relevant experts and industry stakeholders.

This conference was jointly organized by the China Chamber of Commerce of Import and Export of Foodstuffs, Native Produce and Animal By-Products (CFNA) and the Institute of Apicultural Research of the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences(IAR-CAAS) under the theme of "Promoting Ecological Recycling and Expanding Protein Sources".

During the conference, Qian Keming, Former Vice Minister of the Ministry of Commerce, pointed out in his speech that China has a huge annual feed protein supply gap of 37 million tons. As an emerging industry, the insect protein industry has great potential. It can not only alleviate the protein shortage problem but also optimize agricultural resource allocation and increase farmers' income. However, the current industry is still in its early stage. He advocates for collaborative endeavors among universities, research institutes, and enterprises to propel technological progress. By constructing a well-structured industrial chain and supply chain, the insect protein industry will be able to foster high-quality development.

Wu Kongming, President of CAAS, pointed out that developing the resource insect industry is an important measure to implement Greater Food and New National Food Security Concepts . Insects with high protein can not only be used for human consumption, but also serve as an important animal feed protein source for addressing feed protein shortage. The advantages of insects as a high-quality protein source are gradually recognized by the market, promoting the extensive application of insect components in fields such as food, health products, feed, medicine, and cosmetics. He stated that as the national strategic scientific and technological force in agriculture, CAAS will further improve the top-level design for the resource insect discipline construction, carry out scientific and technological innovation, effectively promote technology transfer in the field of resource insects through cross-field and cross-regional cooperation across the entire industrial chain.

In the keynote report session, Huang Qingsheng,Director of the Feed and Forage Division of Bureau of Animal Husbandry and Veterinary Services of the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, stated that insect protein has great potential in the feed industry, especially in replacing soybean meal, but there are also challenges in efficiency, standardization, and quality control in the process of feed application. Other experts such as Dr. Peng Wenjun, Dr. Tian Wenli, Dr. Huang Dawei, Mr. Zhang Lei, and Mr.Liu Zhenbo also shared their research and insights from different perspectives, covering Exploration of Active Ingredients in Insects, Safety Management and Risk Assessment of Edible Insects, and Resource Utilization of Municipal Sludge, etc.

The conference also held round table discussion focusing on " Efficient Breeding and High-Value Utilization of Resource Insects ", " Industrial Application of Insect Protein ", and " Recycling of Kitchen Waste ", sharing research results and countermeasures for key issues in the development of resource insect utilization.

During the conference, the CFNA signed cooperative agreements with IAR-CAAS, the Vanke Foundation, and Tongwei Agricultural Development Co., Ltd. The Insect Protein Industrial Association Branch of CFNA was officially established, and the National Earthworm Industry Alliance and the National Black Soldier Fly Industry Alliance were also launched, aiming to boost the insect protein industry growth in a sustainable way.

IAR-CAAS will take this opportunity to accelerate discipline expansion from apicultural science into resource insect in a broader scope, relying on the national key laboratory and relevant projects to conduct in-depth research on resource insects and provide solid scientific and technological support for the high-quality development of the insect protein industry.