Insects first scuttled across the Earth 480 million years ago – that’s more than 477 million years before the earliest humans and long before the emergence of one of the 21st century’s greatest environmental challenges: The broken food chain. Globally, over a third of all food produced is wasted each year. This food waste accounts for 10% of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions, as waste breaks down and releases harmful methane into the atmosphere. In Cambridge, England, start-up Better Origin is harnessing the power of insects to fix this massive problem by going back to nature, where nothing is wasted and is instead eaten by insects. Better Origin’s automated insect mini-farms unite black soldier flies and AI to not only safely dispose of food waste, but in turn, to transform the larvae inside into high-quality animal feed, reducing the need for soy production and preventing deforestation. What’s more, is the entire local food chain can take place inside a mini-farm the size of a shipping container! The start-up is already well on the way to bringing their circular animal feed solutions to the masses, and, in 2021, signed a deal with British supermarket giant Morrisons to feed chickens on their egg farms.
What They Say: “Better Origin wants to fix the broken food chain with the help of nature’s best up cyclers – insects. Through partnerships with farms and food companies, we are converting food waste into insect feed.”
Founder/s: Fotis Fotiadis & Miha Pipan
Based In: Cambridge, England
Website: www.betterorigin.co.uk