The insects as food and feed industry needs integrative solutions

The edible insect industry is inherently multidisciplinary. The increasing interest in edible insect production for food and feed has driven an increasing number of research outputs covering biology, engineering, economics, and more. However, research spanning disciplines lags behind discipline-specific research and there is a need for interdisciplinary research to address emerging challenges and support industrial advancement. Here, we integrate perspectives across biology and economics to highlight opportunities for interdisciplinary research across these fields. Specifically, we identify key gaps requiring collaborative effort and explicitly outline solutions that span these fields, with the aim of scaling up production yield, achieving economic sustainability, and ensuring the sustainable development of edible insect farming. Continuing to build relationships within academia, and between industries and governments, will ensure the continuous development of the edible insect industry to meet global challenges of hunger and food security.