Responsibly
Raised Insects
The leading standard for insects raised for food and feed, ensuring that insects are raised responsibly.
The insects as food and feed industry has introduced a promising, scalable, and sustainable method to produce pet food, animal feed, and potentially food for humans. But with this new industry come new challenges on farms. Responsibly Raised Insects exists to help producers and retailers understand how to rear insects in accordance with the latest science and research. We aim to support the industry in ensuring it meets its goals of being a sustainable, responsible new way to produce pet food and animal feed — by providing clear, easy-to-adapt, and comprehensive standards for animal welfare on insect farms.
We work with producers and retail companies to ensure that their insect products meet the best scientific evidence in four key areas:
Safe Breeds.
Developing new lines of insects poses risks to both the insects and the community. New lines of insects by external breeders should be evaluated for welfare by independent scientists and auditors.
Good Farm Conditions.
Insect farms should follow the best available scientific research. We recommend practical, scientifically-backed guidance that farms can adhere to, ensuring that insects have access to food and live in conditions conducive to their development.
Humane Harvesting.
Harvesting on insect farms should involve rigorously tested methods and approaches. We provide guidance on harvesting and depopulation for producers, to ensure they are following best practices.
Continuous Improvement.
Producers should review their practices and these standards annually, and continuously improve welfare on their farms. Our standards will continue to grow with the science, and practices on farms should too.
