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International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF)

IPIFF

IPIFF represents the insect production sector towards EU policy makers, promoting insect-derived products as nutrients for human consumption, animal feed and fertilisers.

Lobbying Activity

Insect industry seeks inclusion in EU net-zero procurement rules

13 Oct 2025
Topic — This consultation addresses environmental sustainability requirements for net-zero technology products in public procurement.
Message — IPIFF requests the formal recognition of insect technology within the net-zero framework. They urge the inclusion of insect products in procurement to create guaranteed demand.12
Why — The proposal would create guaranteed markets and de-risk investments for insect producers.34
Impact — Exporters of high-impact imported proteins would face displacement by local sustainable alternatives.5
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IPIFF urges EU to streamline regulations for insect-based products

13 Oct 2025
Topic — EU initiative to reduce administrative burdens in food and feed safety.
Message — The group wants permanent authorizations for feed products and legalized whole insects in animal feed. They also demand legally binding six-month deadlines for final market approvals.123
Why — Lowered production costs and improved regulatory certainty would help the insect industry scale.45
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Response to European Innovation Act

3 Oct 2025

Please consider the enclosed Position Paper on behalf of IPIFF, the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed.
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IPIFF Urges EU to Simplify Rules for Innovative Scale-ups

30 Sept 2025
Topic — Establishing an optional harmonized corporate legal framework for innovative companies operating across Europe.
Message — IPIFF advocates for low capital requirements, 48-hour digital registration, and flexible share structures. They also request a system that shares company data with food safety and environmental authorities.123
Why — Standardized rules would lower legal costs and attract necessary international venture capital investment.45
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IPIFF Urges Inclusion of Insect Sector in Nature Credits

30 Sept 2025
Topic — The European Commission is consulting on a roadmap for high-integrity nature credits.
Message — IPIFF requests that sustainable insect farming be explicitly included as a qualifying activity. They suggest developing sector-specific methodologies to quantify benefits like waste reduction. Finally, they urge the Commission to ensure the system is accessible for smaller companies.123
Why — This inclusion would provide financial incentives and private capital to scale up production.45
Impact — Traditional producers of fishmeal and soybean meal could lose market share to insects.6
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IPIFF urges regulatory reforms to scale up insect farming

23 Jun 2025
Topic — The consultation aims to develop a circular, regenerative, and competitive European bioeconomy strategy.
Message — IPIFF calls for expanding authorized insect species and feed substrates like former foodstuffs containing meat. They advocate for streamlining regulatory pathways to help innovative companies overcome the sector's scale-up gap.12
Why — These changes would lower feed costs and secure necessary investments for commercial expansion.3
Impact — Foreign protein suppliers would see diminished demand as the EU prioritizes local insect-based feed.4
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Meeting with Koen Van Dyck (Head of Unit Health and Food Safety)

20 May 2025 · Introduction to the European insect sector and IPIFF contribution to EU discussions on the classification of certain killing methods as primary production activities.

Meeting with Ivan Dimov (Cabinet of Commissioner Ekaterina Zaharieva)

15 May 2025 · Insect farming, rooted in circular practices Full support for the upcoming Startup and Scaleup Strategy especially in the field of possible measures to attract investments for innovative companies

Meeting with Jessika Roswall (Commissioner) and

15 May 2025 · Upcoming Bioeconomy Strategy and Biodiversity Strategy

Meeting with Maria Gafo Gomez-Zamalloa (Acting Head of Unit Agriculture and Rural Development)

15 May 2025 · Exchange of views with IPIFF (International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed) and InnovProtein EU Alliance

Response to EU Start-up and Scale-up Strategy

12 Mar 2025

Please consider the present Position Paper submitted by IPIFF, the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed on the EU Start-up and Scale-up Strategy.
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InnovProtein Alliance seeks mandatory alternative protein in public contracts

7 Mar 2025
Topic — Evaluation of EU rules governing public contracts for goods and services.
Message — The alliance calls for revised procurement rules to include insects, algae, and yeast. They propose mandatory sustainability standards with a minimum percentage for alternative proteins. This would help scale up sustainable production across Europe.12
Why — This would help these innovative companies scale up and secure their commercial viability.3
Impact — Traditional livestock producers and feed importers may see their market share decrease.45
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Meeting with Polyvios Eliofotou (Cabinet of Commissioner Costas Kadis)

25 Feb 2025 · Courtesy meeting and exchange of ideas on support needs in the aquaculture sector

Response to List of net-zero technology final products and their main specific components

19 Feb 2025

Kindly consider the enclosed IPIFF, The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed, Feedback Paper on Net-Zero Industry Act list of net-zero technology final products and their main specific components (implementing act). Brussels, the 19th of February
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Meeting with Vytenis Povilas Andriukaitis (Member of the European Parliament)

4 Feb 2025 · EU protein strategy

Meeting with Pietro Fiocchi (Member of the European Parliament)

10 Sept 2024 · EU Insecting Producing Sector

Meeting with Emma Wiesner (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

7 Jun 2023 · Panel: Alternativa protein

Meeting with Emma Wiesner (Member of the European Parliament, Rapporteur)

11 Apr 2023 · Alternativa protein

Meeting with César Luena (Member of the European Parliament)

9 Mar 2023 · Insect sector in the EU - MEP Luena's team

Insect producers welcome EU rules for upcycling insect frass

21 Oct 2022
Topic — New conditions for marketing certain fertilizers containing animal by-products safely.
Message — The organization supports defining an end point for processed insect waste to be used as fertilizer. This reform would allow these products to be sold across the European Union. They also request the future integration of insect waste into general fertilizer legislation.123
Why — The industry would generate new profits by selling waste products instead of paying for disposal.45
Impact — Traditional mineral fertilizer manufacturers may lose market share to these sustainable biological alternatives.6
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Response to Soil Health Law – protecting, sustainably managing and restoring EU soils

16 Mar 2022

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its feedback regarding the call for evidence on ‘Soil health – protecting, sustainably managing and restoring EU soils’. IPIFF is a non-profit organisation which represents the interests of actors active across the insect production value chain at European level. Bringing together around 80 members - most of which are European insect producing companies - IPIFF aims at contributing to a sustainable, circular food and agricultural system by promoting the use of insects and insect-derived products. Please find IPIFF's feedback attached as pdf.
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Meeting with Carmen Preising (Cabinet of Commissioner Virginijus Sinkevičius)

26 Oct 2021 · General introduction of the European insect sector and how it could support Commission priorties from environmental perspective.

Response to Agriculture - List of products and substances authorised in organic production

23 Apr 2021

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its position regarding the public consultation on ‘Organic farming - list of products & substances authorised in organic production’. IPIFF is a non-profit organisation which represents the interests of actors active across the insect production value chain at European level. Bringing together more than 70 members - most of which are European insect producing companies - IPIFF aims at contributing to a sustainable, circular food and agricultural system by promoting the use of insects and insect-derived products. The IPIFF contribution may be accessed by downloading the attached pdf.
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Response to Authorisation to feed poultry with processed animal protein derived from farmed insects or domestic porcine animals

6 Apr 2021

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its contribution to the Public Consultation on the ‘Authorisation to feed non-ruminants with ruminant collagen / gelatine and with proteins from insects, pigs and poultry’. Please find the IPIFF contribution in the attachment.
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Response to New EU Soil Strategy - healthy soil for a healthy life

10 Dec 2020

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its position regarding the public consultation on the new EU soil strategy. IPIFF is a non-profit organisation which represents the interests of actors active across the insect production value chain at European level. Bringing together more than 70 members - most of which are European insect producing companies - IPIFF promotes the use of insects and insect-derived products as a top tier source of nutrients for human consumption and animal feed. Please find our feedback attached in pdf format.
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Response to New authorized inputs and extended derogation for non-organic pullets and non-organic protein feed in organic production

18 Nov 2020

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its position regarding the public consultation on 'Organic farming - new authorised inputs and extended exemption for non-organic hens and non-organic protein feed'. IPIFF is a non-profit organisation which represents the interests of actors active across the insect production value chain at European level. Bringing together more than 70 members - most of which are European insect producing companies - IPIFF promotes the use of insects and insect-derived products as a top tier source of nutrients for human consumption and animal feed. IPIFF strongly believes that - in the near future - insects and insect-derived feed ingredients (e.g. insect PAPs, insect lipids) will be a reliable complementary source of nutrition in poultry feed (for more information on this subject, please refer to the IPIFF factsheet on animal nutrition: https://ipiff.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/IPIFF-Nutritional-benefits-of-insects-in-animal-feed.pdf). While presently standards for the organic certification activities are being developed by the European Commission, IPIFF suggests the inclusion of up to 5% insect-derived ingredients in organic poultry feed (as part of the 5% derogation). In our view, this possibility will also support organic and/or in-conversion poultry farmers to reach the 30% objective for regionally produced feed (article 1.9.4.2. Nutrition - Regulation (EU) 2018/848) - and implicitly support the growth of the organic sector, in line with the 'Farm to Fork' objectives. To this end, and in the perspective of implementing the new EU organic legislation (from January 2022), IPIFF has devised a three steps policy plan: • Exploring the possibilities for including insect products in feed for organic aquaculture animals; • Supporting the inclusion of insect proteins (derived from non-organically produced animals) in organic poultry and swine feed (up to 5 %); • Developing EU regulatory standards for the organic certification of insect production activities. For reference, please consult the IPIFF Regulatory Brochure (chapter IV) - available through this link: https://ipiff.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/05/IPIFF-RegulatoryBrochure-update07-2020-1.pdf
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Meeting with Giorgos Rossides (Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides), Ines Prainsack (Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides), Karolina Herbout-Borczak (Cabinet of Commissioner Stella Kyriakides)

28 Oct 2020 · Exchange of views with International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) on their priorities under the Farm to Fork.

Response to Action plan for the development of EU organic production

23 Oct 2020

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its position regarding the public consultation on Organic farming - action plan for the development of EU organic production. IPIFF is a non-profit organisation which represents the interests of actors active across the insect production value chain at European level. Bringing together more than 60 members - most of which are European insect producing companies - IPIFF promotes the use of insects and insect-derived products as a top tier source of nutrients for human consumption and animal feed. The attachment includes IPIFF's Contribution Paper on the organic certification of insect production activities (29th of March 2019), as well as the chapter IV of the IPIFF Regulatory Brochure (20th of May 2020 - focusing on the key policy priorities of the European insect sector with respect to organic agriculture and aquaculture).
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Meeting with Virginijus Sinkevičius (Commissioner) and

2 Oct 2020 · To discuss the contribution of insect producers sector in the consultations on the future Strategic Guidelines for EU Aquaculture and Farm to Fork Strategy.

Response to Long term vision for rural areas

9 Sept 2020

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its position regarding the public consultation on Rural development – long-term vision for rural areas. IPIFF is a non-profit organisation which represents the interests of actors active across the insect production value chain at European level. Bringing together more than 60 members - most of which are European insect producing companies - IPIFF promotes the use of insects and insect-derived products as a top tier source of nutrients for human consumption and animal feed. Please find the IPIFF contribution attached in pdf format.
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Response to Amending administrative & scientific requirements for applications for novel foods in view of “Transparency Regulation

20 Aug 2020

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its position regarding the new EU rules on notifications and applications for novel foods. The IPIFF contribution can be found attached (in pdf format).
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Response to Hygiene rules on allergens, food redistribution and food safety culture

6 Aug 2020

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) -the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its position regarding the new EU rules on Food safety, allergies & food waste. Please find the contribution of our association attached in pdf format.
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Response to Statistics on Agricultural Input and Output

10 Apr 2020

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its Contribution to the Public Consultation on Farming statistics – agricultural inputs and outputs. IPIFF is a non-profit organisation which represents the interests of actors active across the insect production value chain at the European level. Bringing together more than 64 members - most of which are European insect producing companies - IPIFF promotes the use of insects and insect-derived products as a top tier source of nutrients for human consumption and animal feed.
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Response to Farm to Fork Strategy

13 Mar 2020

The European insect production sector salutes the ‘Farm to Fork’ initiative and its key objective to improve sustainability across the food production chains. Representing stakeholders involved in insect farming activities, IPIFF and its 62 members recognise that in order to reach climate neutrality by 2050 coordinated efforts are needed - with the support of farmers (‘Farm’), processors and retailers (‘to’), as well as consumers (‘Fork’). Generating safe and nutritious products for both human consumption and animal feed, insect farms rely on circular agricultural practices inspired from nature. Most of the IPIFF members are SMEs - which help in connecting agri-food supply chains by upcycling underused side streams into higher-value proteins, lipids and fertilising products. To bring a constructive contribution to the ‘Farm to Fork’ discussions, our association launched a Position Paper (see pdf attachment). This document highlights the: - importance of diversifying the substrates authorised in insect farming (e.g. former foodstuffs containing meat and fish), with the view to reduce GHG emissions associated with food waste - while also improving EU’s self-sufficiency in terms of protein-rich ingredients; - urgency to authorise insect proteins in poultry and swine feed - providing alternative, nutritious feed ingredients, in line with the natural diet of such animals; - necessity to facilitate the creation of a level-playing field for insect frass application - providing a local source of nutrients for soil fertilisation; - contribution of insect farming to the development of organic farming. The creation of organic standards for insect production activities will, in turn, facilitate the growth of the organic sector - providing sustainable feed materials for organic aquaculture, poultry or pig farms - in line with the targets of the ‘Farm to Fork’ Strategy.
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Response to Climate Law

6 Feb 2020

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector - wishes to present its position regarding European climate law. Our contribution can be found in the attachment.
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Response to A new Circular Economy Action Plan

20 Jan 2020

The International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) - the umbrella association of the European insect sector wishes to present its position regarding the New Circular Economy Action Plan. IPIFF is a non-profit organisation which represents the interests of actors active across the insect production value chain at European level. Bringing together more than 50 members - most of which are European insect producing companies - IPIFF promotes the use of insects and insect-derived products as a top tier source of nutrients for human consumption and animal feed. While our sector is still considered a new industry, its potential to develop is unmatched: by 2030, we expect that European insect producers will employ more than 20 000 people, with a total turnover exceeding several billion euros – bringing an essential contribution to implementing the Circular Economy Strategy of the European Union, while providing local and sustainable products to EU consumers and farmers, in line with the key principle of the ‘Farm to Fork’ Strategy. For more details regarding our contribution to this public consultation, please download the attachment.
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Response to Specific hygiene rules for insects intended for human consumption

20 Feb 2019

IPIFF welcomes the establishment of harmonized rules to spell out hygiene requirements in insect products for human consumption, a good step forward. We are also content with the clarification provided on the specification of substrates authorized for insects which are in accordance with Regulation (EU) 1069/2009. We are also satisfied that the European Commission (EC) clarified the connection between the general food hygiene legislation and novel food authorization procedures (“3. The insects must belong to a species used for food, which is authorized in accordance with Regulation (EU) 2015/2283 and is listed in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470”). The practical consequence of creating this annex is that insect food operators active in processing activities (i.e. killing and further processing) shall now be subject to approval by their national competent authorities (on top of authorization obligations which will derive from the novel food legislation). Furthermore, we would like to propose concrete recommendations, those are aligned with our position paper, dated from November last year( attached) • We have noticed that no specific hygiene requirements are foreseen in the draft text (our Guide on Good Hygiene Practices – to be released in the next couple of days, will provide some concrete examples/proposals in this respect – valid for both insect producers as food and feed) • We would appreciate that the EC would consider for the setting of microbiological criteria/limits for insects intended as food. These could be established according to the following general principles: - o Differentiated limits should be set for insects as raw material (e.g. insect meal) and final products o Those limits and/or the selection of the microbiological parameters/bacteria being evaluated should be consistent and/or aligned with those applying for the same categories of products (e.g. crustaceans and molluscan shellfish)
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Response to Commission Delegated Regulation laying down import conditions for food.

6 Nov 2018

The 'International Platform of Insects for Food & Feed', which is the EU umbrella organisation for the insect proudction sector welcomes the European Commission (EC) plans to regulate the conditions for importing insect food products into the EU. In our view, this reform will indeed contribute to fill the current ‘regulatory loopholes’ in this area , and therefore contribute to bring further legal clarity for insect producers in third countries to plan their marketing activities into the European Union. Our comments to the draft text can be found in the attached document: adopted by the IPIFF General Assembly on 5 November 2018, this paper outlines our general views on the three regulatory proposals addressing ‘import conditions for certain products of animal origin (all open for consultation).
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Response to Commission Implementing Regulation listing third countries for import of products of animal origin.

6 Nov 2018

The 'International Platform of Insects for Food & Feed', which is the EU umbrella organisation for the insect proudction sector welcomes the European Commission (EC) plans to regulate the conditions for importing insect food products into the EU. In our view, this reform will indeed contribute to fill the current ‘regulatory loopholes’ in this area , and therefore contribute to bring further legal clarity for insect producers in third countries to plan their marketing activities into the European Union. Our comments to the draft text can be found in the attached document: adopted by the IPIFF General Assembly on 5 November 2018, this paper outlines our general views on the three regulatory proposals addressing ‘import conditions for certain products of animal origin (all open for consultation).
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Response to Commission Implementing Regulation laying down certificates

6 Nov 2018

IPIFF, which stands for the 'International Platform of Insects for Food & Feed' welcomes the European Commission (EC) plans to regulate the conditions for importing insect food products into the EU. In our view, this reform will indeed contribute to fill the current ‘regulatory loopholes’ in this area , and therefore contribute to bring further legal clarity for insect producers in third countries to plan their marketing activities into the European Union. Our comments to the draft text can be found in the attached document: adopted by the IPIFF General Assembly on 5 November 2018, this paper outlines our general views on the three regulatory proposals addressing ‘import conditions for certain products of animal origin (all open for consultation).
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Response to Commission Implementing Regulation laying down administrative and scientific requirements for novel food applications

15 Aug 2017

Please find attached the contrbution of IPIFF (i.e. the EU umbrella organisation for the insect production sector) to the draft Regulation laying down administrative & scientific requirements for ‘novel food’ applications for autorisation. This document also entails a few remarks regarding the draft implementing Regulation concerning traditional foods from third countries.
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Meeting with Marco Valletta (Cabinet of Commissioner Vytenis Andriukaitis)

25 Apr 2017 · Insects as feed, Insects as novel foods

Response to Production, use and export of certain processed animal proteins and products containing such proteins

30 Nov 2016

General remarks Given the potential of insect-meal to provide an economically and ecologically sustainable source of proteins for animals, IPIFF (i.e. organisation representing the insect production sector - 34 members originating from 14 different countries - at the EU level) pleads for the revision of the current EU legislation in order to allow insect proteins (insect PAPs) to be used as source of proteins for farmed animals. Against this background, the IPIFF association and its members welcome the European Commission (EC) proposal to authorise the use of insect PAPs in feed for aquaculture animals: the current EU framework & scientific studies provide sufficient basis for an immediate revision of these rules. Apart from this specific proposal, IPIFF also supports investigations towards the authorisation of using insect PAPs for other non-ruminant species (i.e. pig & poultry) or the use of ‘new’ ‘high grade’ substrates (e.g. former foodstuffs containing meat and fish). Consequent amendments of EU legislation could be envisaged on a second stage provided that ‘knowledge gaps’ and/or ‘technical barriers’ have been previously addressed. Specific remarks 1. Proposed amendments of Annexes I & IV of Regulation (EC) No 999/2001: - IPIFF supports the ongoing EU initiative towards the removal of the so-called ‘slaughterhouse requirement’ for insect products, as materialized through the proposed addition of section F in Annex IV of Regulation 999/2001. This change will indeed allow insect-producers to make use of the same authorisation as those producing and processing other non-ruminant animals (i.e. pigs & poultry) for feeding aquaculture animals. - In line with the EFSA scientific opinion of 8 October 2015, IPIFF also agrees with the relaxation of these ‘feed ban rules’ to be limited to insect PAPs fed on substrates currently allowed by the EU legislation, namely plant based materials. - Since the IPIFF company members are exclusively involved in insect production activities (i.e. usually integrating all production steps from farming up to final delivery), proposals aiming at restricting the authorization to ‘dedicated plants’ could be realistically implemented. 2. Proposed amendments of Annex X of Regulation (EC) No 142/2011 - IPIFF supports the EC proposal to restrict the conditions for producing insect PAPs, by defining a ‘positive list of insect species’, as long as this list reflects the ‘state of the EU market’: this is the case of the 'positive list' included through the proposed amendment (i.e. Black Soldier Fly, Yellow Mealworm, Lesser Mealworm, House Cricket, Banded Cricket & Field Cricket) - The establishment of such ‘positive list’ should however not undermine the possibilities to produce other species non-included here, when these are subject to different production steps & are destined to other feed markets (e.g. production of live insects or insects subject to ‘light treatment’ - differing from processing steps referred to in Reg. 142/2011 - & targeted for the pet food market). 3. Proposed amendments of Annex XV of Regulation (EC) No 142/2011 -Whilst being mainly composed of EU producers, IPIFF also gathers non-EU producers who may potentially import insect PAPs into the EU. If so, these will therefore comply with the same general safety standards & specific provisions applying to EU producers. Against this background, IPIFF supports the principle of prohibiting imports of insect PAPs, in case these have been fed on ‘non-authorised substrates' in the EU. IPIFF also agrees with the fact that imports are subject appropriate formalities (e.g. registration on a positive list & compliance with a health certificate as set out in chapter I of Annex XV) as long as these remain proportionate & adequately reflect the ‘safety status’ of these exporting countries.
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