[LUM#8] Insectivore

[LUM Magazine] - Published on January 8, 2019 in Entrepreneurship, Science-Society

Promoting the consumption of insects is the very serious professional project of Benoit Salmon, an enterprising student entrepreneur.

How are we going to feed the 10 billion people who will populate the planet in 2050? This question seemed a long way off for Benoit Salmon, who was then studying for a master's degree in entrepreneurship at Montpellier Management. " I was helping out a friend who was working on the subject, and something clicked," confides the young man. This trigger raised a real challenge for the student: how to ensure a sufficient supply of protein for everyone, while preserving the environment? One solution: eating insects. " For the same amount of protein, raising certain insects consumes up to 200 times less water than producing meat, which is a key issue in terms of sustainable development," explains Benoit Salmon.

He decided to take up the challenge and make it his Master 1 project: " I created Let's try, a company whose aim was to market food products based on insect meal ". The young man soon came up against regulatory obstacles. Rather than abandon his project, he decided to develop it further. " I set myself the mission of promoting insect consumption ". To achieve this, Benoit Salmon decided to create a new medium aimed at industry professionals. " I offer them quality information through market analysis, monitoring and press reviews ". The result was Entomophagy and business, the first medium dedicated to the insect food market.

A lobby for edible insects

While waiting for the official launch of his media, Benoit Salmon has opted for a new path to make room for insects in the food supply. He is now in Brussels, working for theInternational Platform of Insects for Food and Feed(IPIFF), the association representing insect producers for animal feed and human consumption at European level. In charge of internal and external communications, he manages social networks, internal and external newsletters, implements communication tools and handles press relations. " This internship will enable me to gain experience in this field and to be closer to all the players in the sector," says the young man.

Benoit Salmon was also able to implement his original project thanks to appropriate support. I was lucky enough to benefit from the status of student entrepreneur during my time at university," he explains. In particular, I was able to replace my Master's internship with a real market study in Asia, which is a major asset ", stresses the student entrepreneur, who hopes to make room for mealworms and crickets on our food shelves.

Key words : Entrepreneurship, Students, LUM#8, LUM Magazine