Hosted and organised by The Royal Entomological Society

Wednesday 30 October, 18:30 – 20:30 (exact timing tbc)

Location: Event Suite, Level 3, Millennium Point

Across the world, insects are being reared as a source of food for humans and as animal feed.

Although using insects as food and feed is not as common in Europe as places like Africa, Asia and South America, this is a fast-growing industry. Investment in this sector has seen a considerable increase in recent years with a many organisations exploring how insects can tackle some of the most pressing concerns facing our food and feed industries. For example, you may have seen energy bars that contain insect flour hitting the shelves recently, or insect-based pet food, but why?

Join us at this exciting and topical panel debate where we will introduce using insects as food and feed and look at the challenges and opportunities faced as this becomes more widely considered.

We are delighted to announce that the discussion will be chaired by BBC journalist, Melanie Abbott. Melanie is a BBC Radio 4 journalist with You and Yours, Woman’s Hour and Farming Weekly. Melanie will be joined by a range of panellists sharing their views and experience and taking questions and comments from the audience.

The debate will take place alongside our annual Insects as Food and Feed (IAFF) conference taking place the following day in the same location. The conference brings together a diverse range of people from across the industry including scientists, farmers, food technologists, lawyers and chefs, to hear the latest information, research, and new developments and challenges that face the IAFF sector. You can find out more about the conference and register here.