In 2012, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges Explorations program funded a project called All Things Bugs to create insect-based foods and help malnourished children in famine-stricken areas. Now, the foundation has expanded the scope of this project by working with the United States Armed Forces.
The expanded program has received support from the Department of Defense to develop genetically modified insects for human consumption.
American regulations on the development and consumption of insect-based food products are unclear. There is no official approval process or ban on insect products being developed for human consumption, allowing companies to provide insect-based food products for U.S. consumers despite the fact that such products would be classified as "filthy" adulterated foods under the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act of 1938. (Related: ICA, Sweden's leading grocery store, publishes "environmentally friendly" MEALWORMS recipe on its website.)
In fact, products containing crickets and grasshoppers are already available in stores and restaurants all over the United States. They are part of consumable products like protein bars and shakes, and are also regularly used in animal feed and pet foods.
With very minimal regulatory obstacles, investors, such as Bill Gates and major food companies, like Tyson Foods, have started backing so-called "alternative protein" projects and startups.
Door to Freedom founder and internist Dr. Meryl Nass told The Defender that the lenient Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations allow many insect-based foods to be classified as "Generally Regarded as Safe." This classification means they do not require further testing, enabling the FDA to overlook potential safety concerns. Nass said it may take generations to determine the safety of these foods.
Gates investing in insect-based foods
All Things Bugs' expansion into the field of providing alternative proteins for the military involves teaming up with the Pentagon's Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency to use CRISPR gene-editing technology and other technologies to research turning insects into new, genetically modified bioresources.
All Things Bugs highlighted that, while insects are "a very sustainable source of protein," its goal is "to make them a feasible commodity for the food industry."
"With all GMOs, including insects, it's vital that they are subjected to a pre-marketing risk assessment for health and the environment," warned Claire Robinson, managing editor of GMWatch, in an interview with The Defender. "This includes testing them for the presence of pathogens, possible allergens and substances that may be toxic to humans. Then they must be clearly labeled for the consumer."
Gates' investments in insect-based foods are part of a broader strategy to explore alternatives to animal-based foods. He has also invested heavily into other alternative foods. In February, he blogged about investing in Savor, a startup that makes butter by converting carbon dioxide into fats through a thermochemical process.
Nature's Fynd, a food tech startup that creates protein from a microbe found in Yellowstone's geothermal springs, secured $80 million from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a collective of organizations established by Bill Gates in 2015, and Generation Investment Management.
In 2022, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation granted $4.75 million over multiple years to Nature's Fynd to enhance its innovative fermentation technology for producing Fy, a "nutritional fungi protein."
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