Asian Insect Industry & Research Forum 2025

It’s been a week since we bade farewell to the Asian Insect Industry & Research Forum 2025, and now that the initial excitement has settled, we’ve been reflecting on the deeper conversations and questions that have stayed with us. Organised by AFFIA and hosted wonderfully by Universiti Malaya, the event was a powerful reminder that our industry is not just growing, but maturing and asking the tough, necessary questions to define our future.

The spirit of collaboration was stronger than ever, and it was great to see new faces joining the mission. A special thanks to the team at Bioloop for their generous facility tour, which was a perfect example of the open teamwork that will propel our industry forward.

Asking the Right Questions

More than just a series of presentations, AFFIA 2025 sparked critical industry-wide dialogues. We were proud to have our team at the heart of these conversations, pushing the boundaries and exploring the challenges and opportunities ahead.

• Salamahafifi steered a vital panel, "Unlocking Insect Markets, Risk Perception, Quality Assurance and the Role of Certification." The discussion went straight to a core regulatory debate: Are industry-wide standards a necessity for building trust and market access, or are they a luxury that early-stage companies can't afford?

• Leo Wein wore two hats, first presenting his talk, "A Force of Nature - Insect Frass for Regenerative Tropical Agriculture." He then brought that value-add perspective to the panel, "Insect Products beyond the Price Tag," sparking a debate on market priorities. Do customers truly want to pay a premium for sustainable, high-value products, or will the mass market always favour the best price?

• Rachel Steven added another dimension to the value conversation with her presentation, "Insect: a favourable flavour for the feed industry," showing how science-backed flavour development can create a distinct and desirable product appeal.

• Mathieu Chaix-Bar also took on dual roles. He first shared his technical work in "Shifting the Lens: Dry Matter based mass balance as a tool for optimising BSF bioconversion." He then challenged the room during the panel, "From Knowledge Gaps to Circular Models," by answering fundamental questions about our industry's identity, including: as we become more efficient, are we primarily a protein industry, or are we truly a frass industry?

  
  

The Path Forward

These questions about regulation, value perception, and even our core identity are what a maturing industry should be asking. The path forward lies in tackling them together. The collaboration between bright minds in academia and experienced hands in the industry has never been more important.

A huge and heartfelt thank you to the AFFIA organisers and Universiti Malaya for creating a space for such an important and inspiring event. We left with a clearer sense of the challenges ahead, but also with renewed energy to solve them as a community.