The Feed of the Future can be Grown in Containers

Is farm-based cultivation of insect protein for animal feed the future? Axfoundation visited several partners in the Feed of the Future for Fish, Pigs, Poultry, and Laying Hens project who are raising insects locally—in containers. We also met with the entrepreneur whose vision is decentralized farming and production of insect meal across the country. Our journey took us from Boden in the north to Klippan in southern Skåne.

At Vattenfall’s fish farming facility in Heden, near Boden, hundreds of thousands of salmon and trout are bred annually and released into the Lule River to compensate for the impact of hydropower on natural fish habitats. Henri Heimonen, the facility manager, carefully moves between the tanks to avoid stressing the fish. He introduces a handful of larvae (from the American black soldier fly) into the tanks. Some fish snap at the surface, but most hesitate—they’re not accustomed to live insects.

– We’re just doing a small pilot for now—the real test starts after the summer. That’s when we’ll look at how the fish take to the larvae, since they’re used to pellets. But I’m hopeful. What the world’s doing today is just not sustainable. I mean, it’s plain crazy to feed fish with fish just to get fish, says Henri Heimonen in his steady northern Swedish accent.

Henri is deeply committed to his work and spends considerable time in nature. While he’s concerned about the overfished Baltic Sea, he’s optimistic about new solutions like this circular and resource-efficient feed, where food waste transforms into high-quality protein. The insects are produced just a few kilometers away.

– Supporting local production is crucial – this is where we live. Currently, in the fish feed industry, we don’t have a supplier in Sweden. We need to reduce our dependence on imports and do things sustainably, Henri adds, tossing another handful of larvae.

Supporting local production is crucial – this is where we live. Currently, in the fish feed industry, we don’t have a supplier in Sweden. We need to reduce our dependence on imports and do things sustainably.

– Henri Heimonen, the facility manager at fish farming facility in Heden, Boden.

What Our Animals Eat Matters

Animal feed affects climate, the environment, resource use, and Sweden’s self-sufficiency. The Feed of the Future project shows that it is possible to produce animal feed without relying on imported soy and fishmeal. Instead, it can be made from ingredients that contribute to a sustainable food system: mussels, mycoprotein (fungal protein), and insects—specifically the black soldier fly larvae.

Christian Sjöland and Madeleine Linins Mörner at Axfoundation are leading the project. They are committed to exploring different models for future insect farming.

• There is already large-scale, centralized insect production in several EU countries, but in the Feed of the Future project, we want to test various approaches. The trials with insects at Heden’s fish farm are an example of small-scale, local production, says Christian Sjöland.

Other variations include large-scale but decentralized production models, with multiple containers distributed across the country and processing (drying into insect meal) taking place in regional hubs. This model promotes regional circular flows of waste streams. Small-scale solutions with a single container on a farm for a primary producer’s own needs are also worth testing—we’ll return to that.

In Boden, the insect container is located in the so-called Plug & Play area—a site dedicated to the establishment of companies focused on green energy. The larvae are fed with fruit and vegetable scraps sourced from a couple of local food wholesalers.

Building Local Expertise for the Future

There’s also a social dimension. Through collaboration between DC Farming, which operates the cultivation, and the Municipality of Boden, a project partner, insect farming serves as a labor market initiative. Participants gain practical experience in insect farming, building local expertise for the future.

Inside the container, it’s warm with a faint sweet smell. Vertical trays line the walls, each holding bins where larvae feast on fruit, vegetables, and likely some bread. Elize Hansson pulls out a bin and gently stirs the substrate—a term for the milled waste resembling moist sawdust with fibers and chewy bits. Dozens of gray-white larvae crawl between her fingers; hundreds move within the bin. She scoops up a handful, cupping them tenderly.

Catharina Ljungcrantz is the project coordinator and has been training in insect farming with Elize and other participants since January. The container is owned by the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), which also supplies the millimeter-sized starter larvae—essentially baby larvae. Every week, 84,000 starter larvae are sent by mail.

Food Waste Becomes High-Quality Protein

For 14 days, the larvae feast on fruit and vegetable waste, growing to several centimeters in size. At that point, they’re ready for harvest—rich in fat and high-quality protein. The trays are emptied onto a vibrating sieve that separates the larvae from leftover substrate and frass, another term for larval excrement.

– The frass could potentially be used as fertilizer in crop production, says Catharina Ljungcrantz.

It’s interesting to see how it works in real life, with the necessary logistics, where to source substrates, and which stakeholders are interested in participating.

– Cecilia Lalander, Associate Professor of Technology at SLU

Since the beginning, Catharina has received support from Viktoria Wiklicky, a biologist at SLU who has handled all the training and is responsible for producing all the starter larvae. Cecilia Lalander, Associate Professor of Technology at SLU, is also involved. She has many years of experience breeding the black soldier fly—the English name for the species. Cecilia Lalander focuses specifically on small-scale breeding, and within the project, she trains others in how to do it.

• It’s interesting to see how it works in real life, with the necessary logistics, where to source substrates, and which stakeholders are interested in participating, says Cecilia Lalander.

Testing Fish Acceptance and Growth

The pilot training has been ongoing throughout the spring and early summer. In August, the trial at Heden fish farm begins, where the fish’s acceptance of the feed and its nutritional uptake will be analyzed and compared to fish fed with conventional feed. Over 400,000 insects will be raised in the container and delivered to the fish farm each week.

The analysis is conducted in collaboration with Hanna Carlberg, an aquaculture researcher at SLU, and Cecilia Lalander. Using feed traps, researchers can measure which type of feed the fish prefer: soy and fish meal-based pellets or live insects. Feeding live larvae is more cost-effective, as it eliminates the need for drying.

Nils Lindh, a business developer at Boden Business Park and project partner in the Feed of the Future project, sees insect farming as a small but fitting piece in the larger climate transition driving growth in the northern town. The main driver is the Stegra factory being built a few miles away for green steel production.

Boden Municipality is also at the forefront in food, both as a partner in the PLATE research center and through its local food strategy focusing on sustainable, resilient food and self-sufficiency.

The container and the adjacent greenhouse open up possibilities for both large-scale industrial solutions and small-scale farming. There’s definite potential, but it’s challenging to gauge the market, says Nils Lindh.

Regenerative Farming With Pasture-Raised Hens

With Nils Lindh’s uncertainties lingering, we travel 1,500 kilometers south to Klippan in Skåne. Just outside the town lies Forsby Ängar farm, nestled amidst lush green pastures and meadows. Here, Per and Emelie Hult practice regenerative agriculture, aiming to improve soil health through all their activities. Per, the fourth generation on the farm, also works as an engineering consultant.

Forsby Ängar raises lambs and beef cattle, with animals grazing year-round and pastures rotated to maintain soil health. However, we’re here for their 700 pasture-raised hens. Twice daily, they’re fed live larvae (American black soldier fly) from Per’s own container farm on the premises.

– They really enjoy it, says Per Hult.

Local Food Waste Fed to Larvae

We peek into the container, similar to the one in Boden and also from SLU. The substrate in the bins appears wetter than in Boden, possibly because it lacks bread and contains only fruits and vegetables. The waste is donated by ICA Kvantum in Klippan. A couple of times a week, the store places bins on the loading dock, and Per or Emelie collects them.

– It works very well. The only issue is the moisture, which is challenging to manage, says Per Hult.

As an engineer, Per has devised a screw-like solution to press out the moisture from the substrate. However, it’s an investment that’s hard to justify financially.

Just like in Boden, starter larvae arrive by mail from SLU at regular intervals. Per monitors the different age batches and pulls out bins to show us. The larvae vary in size, some just half a centimeter, others large enough to feed the hens. Per selects such a bin—it’s time for the hens’ breakfast. Due to the mushy substrate, separating the larvae isn’t feasible.

– That’s okay; what the hens don’t eat becomes soil nutrients. They scratch and trample the substrate, so it disappears entirely, says Per Hult, scooping the mixture into buckets.

He heads toward the pasture. The hens eagerly flock toward him; the lone rooster crows, wings flutter. When Per scatters the coveted larval mash into the feed troughs, an ear-splitting clucking ensues.

Circular and Aligned with the Philosophy

In the middle of the pasture stand the stations where the hens lay eggs and sleep. Each day, he collects approximately 500 eggs from the central conveyor belt. The pasture-raised eggs are sold under the brand Varva, a partner in the Future Feed project. Customers subscribe and pick up the eggs at various distribution points and at the farm.

For Per and Emelie Hult, locally and circularly produced feed protein aligns perfectly with their philosophy of sustainable agriculture and good soil health.

– The waste streams in society are a significant problem we’ve thought a lot about. This is a very interesting project in that we can replace soy-based feed with larvae we produce ourselves from waste. The challenge is that it’s quite a labor-intensive process, says Per Hult.

The waste streams in society are a significant problem we’ve thought a lot about. This is a very interesting project in that we can replace soy-based feed with larvae we produce ourselves from waste. The challenge is that it’s quite a labor-intensive process.

– Per Hult, operates regenerative agriculture in Forsby Ängar

Just like in Boden, the insect container is funded by SLU, which also supplies the starter larvae. How Per and Emelie Hult would cover the costs if they bore them themselves remains an open question. In the long term, Per Hult sees significant systemic benefits for both farmers and the environment with soy-free feed—not necessarily live larvae but also feed rations based on new protein sources like insect meal, mycoprotein, and mussel meal. However, finding viable business models is crucial, with pricing being a decisive factor.

• Farmers today are under pressure, so for them to be interested, the cost increase in the feed ration must not be too significant. It might be easier to work at our scale because we have consumers willing to pay a small premium for soy-free products, concludes Per Hult.

How to Secure the Business?

As with many innovation projects, there are uncertainties regarding sustainable business models and scaling. An insect breeding container costs around 700,000 SEK, and operating costs include heating and climate control to maintain consistent humidity year-round. Additionally, labor and starter larvae are required.

What could a decentralized, profitable production model for feed protein look like? Can multiple breeders collaborate and rent containers? How can logistics flows with residual streams be secured, and where can support and expertise be found?

Investor and business developer Patrik Hallén has been grappling with these questions since 2023, when he discovered that food waste could be transformed into high-quality protein for animal feed.

– We were experts in creating business models but not in breeding larvae. We saw small-scale operations but no one scaling up, so we decided to build the national infrastructure, says Patrik Hallén.

We meet Patrik outside NovaPro’s insect container and office in Åkersberga, just north of Stockholm. NovaPro’s vision is to make it easy for insect breeders to get started by producing and delivering starter larvae, i.e., baby larvae.

We were experts in creating business models but not in breeding larvae. We saw small-scale operations but no one scaling up, so we decided to build the national infrastructure.

– Patrik Hallén, business developer, investor and founder of NovaPro.

– Breeding insects is essentially the same as plant breeding or breeding sheep or bulls. You work with a gene bank to get good material. Once you’ve produced your starter larvae, it’s not difficult. They eat almost anything. Breeding starter larvae is like a neonatal clinic, says Patrik Hallén.

Scalability is Important

NovaPro has a flexible business model where the core is to deliver starter larvae, technology, expertise, and containers. The production equipment is rented out similarly to a leased car, allowing breeders to avoid the investment cost. Breeders can use the harvest for their own needs, but Patrik Hallén primarily believes in scalable models.

– We could buy the harvest, set up a refinery, and produce protein meal. But for that to work, there must be a market and a functioning, circular logistics chain. Ninety percent involves solving issues related to the value chain and infrastructure, says Patrik Hallén.

We recognize the question from Nils Lindh in Boden. NovaPro has looked into models where municipalities collaborate on waste issues. The refineries should be located near the breeders. There, the larvae are dried, and the frass is separated.

– Technical solutions are needed for local slaughtering and drying, mobile facilities that can handle Sweden’s food waste and produce protein from it, says Patrik Hallén.

We could buy the harvest, set up a refinery, and produce protein meal. But for that to work, there must be a market and a functioning, circular logistics chain. Ninety percent involves solving issues related to the value chain and infrastructure.

– Patrik Hallén, business developer, investor and founder of NovaPro.

Bottlenecks at Various Levels

NovaPro has taken a closer look at the Skaraborg region, where there are good conditions to produce 5,000 tons of larvae and 5,000 tons of frass per year from 20,000 tons of sanitized* food waste. The idea was born to build one, maybe two, refineries there. But there were various bottlenecks.

– To succeed, you need to find farmers willing to breed larvae, municipalities willing to collaborate on circular models, and you need to be in the middle of the waste streams. There are enormous amounts of food waste in brown bags that could be used in insect breeding, but it’s not legal yet. Biogas plants are subsidized. Therefore, much food waste becomes biogas instead of high-quality protein, contrary to the EU’s waste hierarchy, says Patrik Hallén.

However, the entrepreneurs at NovaPro are not giving up. Patrik Hallén firmly believes there is a societal benefit in transforming residual streams into insect protein. He is exploring several other avenues and concludes with a quote that motivates him.

– A wise person said it will take ten to fifteen years to untangle the knots. ‘Every time you encounter obstacles, be glad—that’s innovation’, he said.

*Sanitized means that pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) must have been inactivated or killed.