AWARD YEAR
2015
CATEGORY
Community
GOALS
Life On Land
KEYWORDS
food waste, sustainability, Insects
COUNTRY
Iceland
DESIGNED BY
Búi Bjarmar Aðalsteinsson
WEBSITE
http://www.dezeen.com/2014/05/04/fly-factory-breeds-insects-for-human-consumption-and-produces-no-waste/
Fly Factory
An ecological food production concept with Black Soldier Flies as the main component.
The Fly Factory breeds insect larvae for human consumption. Aðalsteinsson has produced pate and dessert using larvae bred in the factory, to explore how to make insects palatable to western consumers and alleviate potential food shortages in the future.
Aðalsteinsson was inspired by a 2013 report by the FAO of the UN, which investigates how insects could help alleviate shortages of food in future.
"We need to find new ways of growing food," says the report. "Insects offer a significant opportunity to merge traditional knowledge and modern science in both developed and developing countries."
The conceptual micro-factory feeds insects on food waste and recycles the nutrients they excrete as fertilizer. "The larvae are given organic waste and become rich in fat and protein, which then can be harvested for human consumption," says Aðalsteinsson.
"The factory was designed so that it produces no waste and to make use of materials that would otherwise be disregarded and thrown away."