Mealworm farming for food and feed is growing rapidly, and developing appropriate welfare standards requires grappling with scientific uncertainty about insect sentience.
Mealworm welfare science is in its earliest stages. The question of whether Tenebrio molitor larvae are sentient is genuinely unresolved, with the neurological basis of insect pain remaining poorly characterised. The precautionary principle applied to animal welfare suggests that minimising handling stress, providing appropriate nutrition and using killing methods that minimise potential suffering are appropriate regardless of certainty about sentience. As the industry scales, developing and applying welfare standards proportionate to the scientific evidence is important.