Edible Insect Market – Global Industry Size, Share, Trends, Opportunity, and Forecast, Segmented By Insect Type (Crickets, Beetles, Mealworms, Grasshoppers, Ants, Silkworms, Cicadas, Others), By Application (Human Consumption Products, Animal Nutrition, Insect Oil, Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics, Personal Care, Others), By Insect Category (Regular Insects, and Premium Diet-Fed Insects) By Region, By Competition, 2021-2031F

Forecast Period	2027-2031
Market Size (2025)	USD 1.17 Billion
CAGR (2026-2031)	13.64%
Fastest Growing Segment	Cricket
Largest Market	Europe
Market Size (2031)	USD 2.52 Billion

Market Overview

The Global Edible Insect Market will grow from USD 1.17 Billion in 2025 to USD 2.52 Billion by 2031 at a 13.64% CAGR. The Global Edible Insect Market comprises the rearing, processing, and distribution of insects such as crickets, mealworms, and black soldier flies for direct human consumption or as protein-rich ingredients in food products. The primary drivers propelling this sector include the escalating global demand for sustainable protein alternatives that require significantly less land and water than traditional livestock and the superior feed-to-food conversion efficiency of insects. These fundamental factors are distinct from consumer trends and underscore the industry's potential to address long-term food security and environmental resource challenges.

However, the market faces a significant challenge in the form of complex regulatory frameworks and persisting consumer neophobia in Western regions where eating insects is not culturally established. Despite these hurdles, the industry continues to demonstrate strong commercial momentum and expanding professional participation. According to the UK Edible Insect Association, in 2024, the organization reported a 30% increase in membership ahead of its annual sector conference. This substantial growth in industry representation indicates a rising number of enterprises entering the market to capitalize on the increasing commercial viability of insect-based nutrition.

Key Market Drivers

The escalating requirement for sustainable animal feed and pet nutrition serves as a primary engine for market expansion. Manufacturers are increasingly substituting traditional fishmeal and soy with insect protein to lower carbon footprints and stabilize supply chains against agricultural volatility. This shift is particularly evident in the aquaculture and pet food sectors, where black soldier fly larvae are prized for their high protein content and functional health benefits. To meet this industrial-scale demand, companies are rapidly expanding production capabilities. According to Bioflytech, March 2024, in the 'New Facility Operations' announcement, the biotechnology firm commenced activities at a new plant engineered to produce 12,000 tonnes of fresh black soldier fly larvae annually. Such capacity upgrades are essential to transition insect protein from a niche additive to a staple commodity in global feed markets.

Concurrently, a surge in investment and market entry by key players is accelerating the commercialization of insect-based technologies. Venture capital and strategic partnerships are fueling the development of automated rearing systems, which are necessary to achieve price parity with conventional proteins. This financial influx validates the sector's long-term viability and enables the construction of larger, more efficient infrastructure. According to Nasekomo, January 2024, in the 'Series A Capital Raise' press release, the company secured €8 million in funding to deploy its robotized insect farming solutions across Europe. Beyond financial injections, regulatory milestones are further incentivizing global trade and market access. According to the Singapore Food Agency, in 2024, the authority approved 16 distinct insect species for human consumption, thereby opening a critical gateway for import and retail opportunities in the Asian market.

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Key Market Challenges

Complex regulatory frameworks constitute a formidable barrier to the scalability and international integration of the Global Edible Insect Market. Unlike traditional livestock sectors which benefit from harmonized international trade standards, the insect industry faces a fragmented legal landscape where approval processes vary drastically by jurisdiction. This inconsistency creates high barriers to entry for manufacturers, who must navigate disparate safety standards, labeling requirements, and species authorization lists for every new market they attempt to penetrate. The lack of standardized legislation prevents companies from establishing efficient global supply chains, thereby stalling the mass production capabilities necessary to compete with conventional protein sources on price and availability.

This legislative void directly hampers commercial momentum by creating operational uncertainty and restricting export opportunities. According to the Asian Food and Feed Insect Association, in 2024, approximately 70% of countries worldwide still lacked defined regulatory frameworks for insect feed. This significant gap in governance means that in the majority of potential markets, companies cannot legally distribute their products or face prohibitive compliance ambiguities. Consequently, the industry is forced to operate within isolated regional pockets rather than as a cohesive global market, stifling the investment and distribution networks required for substantial sector growth.

Key Market Trends

The Integration of Insect Bioconversion Models for Circular Economy Waste Valorization is reshaping industrial facility designs through the adoption of "industrial symbiosis." Manufacturers are increasingly co-locating rearing plants with agricultural processing sites to directly pipe low-value by-products into insect operations, thereby eliminating transport costs and securing consistent feedstock. This localized integration maximizes resource efficiency by transforming agricultural residues into high-value protein and fertilizer without additional carbon emissions from logistics. According to Innovafeed, April 2024, in the 'Innovafeed expands to U.S.; opens Insect Innovation Center' announcement, the company inaugurated a new North American facility physically connected to a corn processing complex, allowing it to directly recover up to 300,000 tons of agricultural by-products annually.

Concurrently, the Emergence of Insect-Based Ingredients in Sports Nutrition and Elderly Care Products is driving the development of specialized functional foods. Brands are capitalizing on the high digestibility and rich amino acid profiles of insect protein isolates to target performance-focused consumers who prioritize nutritional efficacy over cultural norms. This shift towards functional benefits helps mitigate consumer neophobia, as the insect content is presented as a refined, performance-enhancing ingredient rather than a novelty food item. According to the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF), March 2024, in the 'EU Consumer Acceptance of Edible Insects: Survey Report', 71% of surveyed European consumers expressed a willingness to consume sports supplements enriched with insect ingredients, citing their vitamin and mineral content as a key motivator.

Segmental Insights

The Cricket segment represents the fastest-growing category in the Global Edible Insect Market, driven by its high nutritional value and versatility in food processing. This rapid expansion is supported by favorable regulatory decisions, such as the authorization of house crickets as a novel food by the European Commission. This official validation has enhanced market confidence, enabling manufacturers to integrate cricket flour into everyday products like baked goods and snacks. Consequently, the segment is experiencing accelerated adoption as consumers increasingly seek sustainable and scalable alternatives to traditional animal-based proteins.

Regional Insights

Europe maintains the leading position in the global edible insect market primarily due to a well-defined regulatory framework that supports industry growth. The European Commission, following safety assessments by the European Food Safety Authority, has authorized several insect species as novel foods. This legal certainty allows manufacturers to develop and distribute insect-based products with confidence. Furthermore, the region benefits from a growing consumer focus on environmental sustainability and alternative protein sources. These factors collectively drive the expansion of the market across the continent.

Recent Developments

• In June 2025, Entocycle entered into a strategic partnership with Siemens to accelerate the digitalization of the global insect farming industry. This collaboration focused on combining the company's expertise in insect biology and proprietary farming technology with the engineering giant's extensive portfolio of automation and digital enterprise solutions. The alliance aimed to develop standardized, scalable systems that would optimize production processes and significantly reduce operational costs for insect protein manufacturers. By integrating advanced digital tools, the partners sought to address the technical challenges of scaling insect farming, thereby facilitating the broader adoption of insects as a sustainable protein source in the global food system.
• In October 2024, EnviroFlight announced the successful completion of trials utilizing an advanced optical dosing solution developed by Entocycle at its research center in Apex, North Carolina. The collaboration involved testing a system that employs computer vision and artificial intelligence to automate the dosing of black soldier fly larvae with high precision. Results from the trials demonstrated that the technology achieved dosing accuracy exceeding 95% without negatively impacting the survival rates of the larvae. This partnership highlighted the increasing adoption of digital technologies to enhance operational efficiency and consistency in the large-scale production of insect-based ingredients for animal nutrition.
• In July 2024, Entocycle announced the successful raising of $2.6 million in additional funding to support its operational growth throughout Europe and other international regions. Coinciding with this financial milestone, the company officially opened a new research and development facility situated at the University of Leeds in the United Kingdom. This specialized containerized insect farm was designed to test complex feedstocks and develop protocols for the safe utilization of waste streams in insect farming. The initiative aimed to advance industry standards and support national research programs focused on sustainable protein production, positioning the company for further commercial scaling.
• In April 2024, Innovafeed inaugurated its North American Insect Innovation Center (NAIIC) in Decatur, Illinois, marking a significant strategic expansion into the United States market. This new pilot facility was established to scale up the production and commercialization of insect protein specifically for animal and plant nutrition across North America. The plant operates on a circular industrial model by repurposing agricultural byproducts from a neighboring corn processing complex owned by a strategic partner. This launch represented a crucial step in the company's plan to deploy its proprietary vertical farming technology internationally and meet the rising demand for sustainable ingredients in the pet food sector.

Key Market Players

• Ynsect
• Aspire Food Group
• Xiamen Water Life Imp. & Exp. Co. Ltd
• Beta Hatch
• Fluker's Cricket Farm
• Entomo Farms
• Invertapro AS
• Enviroflight
• Insecteo
• Kreca Ento-Feed BV

By Insect Type	By Application	By Insect Category	By Region
Crickets Beetles Mealworms Grasshoppers Ants Silkworms Cicadas Others	Human Consumption Products Animal Nutrition Insect Oil Pharmaceuticals Cosmetics Personal Care Others	Regular Insects Premium Diet-Fed Insects	North America Europe Asia Pacific South America Middle East & Africa

Report Scope:

In this report, the Global Edible Insect Market has been segmented into the following categories, in addition to the industry trends which have also been detailed below:

• Edible Insect Market, By Insect Type:

• Crickets
• Beetles
• Mealworms
• Grasshoppers
• Ants
• Silkworms
• Cicadas
• Others

• Edible Insect Market, By Application:

• Human Consumption Products
• Animal Nutrition
• Insect Oil
• Pharmaceuticals
• Cosmetics
• Personal Care
• Others

• Edible Insect Market, By Insect Category:

• Regular Insects
• Premium Diet-Fed Insects

• Edible Insect Market, By Region:

• North America
• United States
• Canada
• Mexico
• Europe
• France
• United Kingdom
• Italy
• Germany
• Spain
• Asia Pacific
• China
• India
• Japan
• Australia
• South Korea
• South America
• Brazil
• Argentina
• Colombia
• Middle East & Africa
• South Africa
• Saudi Arabia
• UAE