We are delighted to welcome back the annual Insects as Food and Feed (IAFF) conference, taking place this October in Birmingham.

The Royal Entomological Society’s Food and Feed Special Interest Group (SIG), in partnership with Michelmores, brings together a diverse range of people from across the industry including scientists, farmers, food technologists, lawyers and chefs to examine the vast range of possibilities offered by insects as a novel source of protein. This year’s event will also have input from our Welfare & Ethics and Rearing SIGs.

At IAFF24 you will hear the latest information and take part in discussions that outline new developments and challenges that face the IAFF sector. This year the event will examine updates in legislation and policy changes, the continued development of the insect farming industry, approaches to insect welfare and the ethics of insect farming, plus marketing and public acceptance of insect based or insect feed food products. There will be three topic-led sessions of talks each one followed by a panel discussion.

Key topics include, but are not limited to:

• Integrating insect protein as part of our food and feed systems.
• Where are we now? Insect production and supply chains across Europe.
• How can understanding developments in invertebrate welfare help insect farmers in the UK?

Alongside the traditional conference, we are excited to be running a public panel debate the evening before, introduce using insects as food and feed, and looking at the challenges and opportunities faced as this becomes more widely considered. 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.

Keynote speakers include:

• Teun Veldkamp, Wageningen Livestock Research
• Maureen Wakefield, Fera Science
• Andrew Crump, Royal Veterinary College, University of London