Mealworms (Tenebrio molitor) are increasingly farmed as a sustainable protein source for food and feed, with emerging research questioning what welfare considerations may apply to these insects.
The welfare status of mealworms remains scientifically uncertain, but growing evidence of nociception and aversive responses in insects suggests that precautionary welfare standards are appropriate. Key welfare considerations include rearing density, thermal management, killing method, and substrate quality. As mealworm farming scales globally, establishing baseline welfare standards now is preferable to retrofitting them later.