Black soldier fly (BSF) larvae are increasingly farmed as sustainable protein sources, but the welfare implications of farming billions of insects at high density deserve serious examination.
Black soldier fly farming is expanding rapidly as a sustainable alternative to conventional protein sources, but its welfare implications have received almost no attention. If insect larvae have meaningful pain-like experiences — and the evidence remains uncertain but increasingly suggestive — then the trillion-scale numbers involved make this a potentially enormous welfare issue. The sustainable food systems community has embraced BSF for environmental benefits while largely avoiding welfare questions. This needs to change.