Consumers’ perception towards eggs from laying hens fed commercial black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae meal-based feeds

Abstract

Increased demand for animal protein has motivated the search for more efficient livestock production systems. In recent years, there has been growing interest to incorporate insect meal as an alternative source of protein to fish/soybean meal in chicken feed for improved nutrition, sustainability, and animal welfare benefits. Black soldier fly larval ( BSFL )-based feeds has been shown to increase egg production in a cost-effective manner. However, poultry consumers perception towards the consumption of eggs from layers fed diet integrated with BSFL-based meal have received limited research attention. This study evaluates consumers’ perception towards eggs from hens fed BSFL-based diets and socioeconomic factors influencing the conceived perceptions. The study adopted an exploratory factor analysis ( EFA ) and binary logit regression models to establish perceptions of 200 consumers in Kiambu County, Kenya. Our results revealed that 65% of the consumers were aware of the benefits of integrating insect protein in poultry feed. Over 70% of respondents showed preference and willingness to consume egg products from hens fed diets with BSFL-based feeds. The EFA identified perceived benefits, ethics and traceability as the key aspects that influence consumer intention to consume eggs. Binary logit model revealed that consumer characteristics such as household size, gender, awareness of insects as feed, off-farm income, household income, nature of buying place, and access to credit were important factors driving consumers perceptions. Our findings provide insight into the market perception and potential of eggs from laying hens fed BSFL-based feeds. Our findings demonstrated that increased awareness creation and evidence-based demonstration on the benefits of BSFL-based feed in poultry production would improve consumer perception and foster uptake of this rapidly growing and emerging technology. This work contributes to the limited knowledge on BSFL-based feeds and paves way for further linkages between farmers, public private partners, policy makers, and consumers.

Edible insects: Challenges and prospects

“…Diet and hens' age affected egg components and albumen technological properties, suggesting a differential strategy for marketing (Secci et al 2020). In Kenya 70% of the respondents were willing to consume eggs from chickens fed with black soldier fly (Khaemba et al 2021). In Southern Africa, it was reviewed whether earthworms, maggots, termites, snails, grasshoppers and silkworm would be appropriate to be used for village chickens, looking at nutritional value, availability, propagating, harvesting and processing (Ncobela & Chimonyo 2015).…”

System stress with expanded use of interconnectors in the transition to net-zero

“…Consumers perceive insect-based animal feed to be more sustainable and better for the environment. Altmann et al (2022), Ankamah-Yeboah et al (2018), Khaemba et al (2022), Mancuso et al (2016) Consumers who express greater environmental concerns are more likely to accept food derived from animals fed with insects. Altmann et al (2022), Sogari et al (2022), Baldi et al (2021), Bazoche and Poret (2021), Giotis and Drichoutis (2021), Laureati et al (2016), Lippi et al (2021) Animals fed with insects are perceived to be healthier than animals fed conventional feed.…”

“…The use of conventional resources (e.g. soymeal, fishmeal, grains) in animal feed is unsustainable because of land and water scarcity, food-feedfuel competition and climate change (Godfray, Crute, Haddad, Lawrence, Muir, Nisbett, et al, 2010;Khaemba, Kidoido, Owuor, & Tanga, 2022;Van Huis, Dicke, & van Loon, 2015).…”

Biogas Production from Residues of Industrial Insect Protein Production from Black Soldier Fly Larvae Hermetia illucens (L.): An Evaluation of Different Insect Frass Samples

“…In Europe, however, the consumption of insects is hardly culturally anchored and consumer acceptance of insects as food is comparatively low. In contrast, there are hardly any reservations about the use of insects as animal feed [9]. Forecasts see the largest market potential for insects as feed in the aquaculture and pet food sectors, followed by livestock feed for poultry and swine [10].…”