Genetically Modified Insects: The New Protein Source Backed by Bill Gates and the Military

In 2012, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation's Grand Challenges Explorations program funded the All Things Bugs project to develop insect-based foods to combat malnutrition in famine-affected areas. The foundation has since expanded this initiative, now collaborating with the U.S. Armed Forces. The Department of Defense is backing the program to explore genetically modified insects for human consumption.

U.S. regulations on insect-based food products remain ambiguous, with no formal approval process or ban in place. As a result, companies are offering insect-based foods to consumers despite these products being classified as "filthy" adulterated foods under the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act of 1938. In fact, items containing crickets and grasshoppers are already widely available in U.S. stores and restaurants, appearing in products like protein bars and shakes, as well as in animal feed and pet foods.

With few regulatory hurdles, investors like Bill Gates and major food corporations such as Tyson Foods are supporting "alternative protein" projects and startups.

Dr. Meryl Nass, founder of Door to Freedom and an internist, told *The Defender* that lenient FDA regulations allow many insect-based foods to be classified as "Generally Regarded as Safe," meaning they bypass further testing, potentially overlooking safety concerns. Nass suggested it could take generations to fully assess the safety of these foods.

Gates’ investment in insect-based foods includes All Things Bugs’ expansion into providing alternative proteins for the military. This involves collaboration with the Pentagon’s Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) to use CRISPR gene-editing and other technologies to develop genetically modified bioresources from insects.

All Things Bugs emphasized that while insects are "a very sustainable source of protein," the goal is "to make them a viable commodity for the food industry."

Claire Robinson, managing editor of GMWatch, cautioned in an interview with *The Defender* that all GMOs, including insects, must undergo pre-market risk assessments for health and environmental impacts, including testing for pathogens, allergens, and toxic substances. She stressed that these products should be clearly labeled for consumers.

Gates’ investments in insect-based foods are part of a larger strategy to explore alternatives to animal-based foods. He has also heavily invested in other alternative food technologies. In February, Gates blogged about his investment in Savor, a startup that produces butter by converting carbon dioxide into fats using a thermochemical process.

Nature’s Fynd, a food tech startup that creates protein from a microbe found in Yellowstone’s geothermal springs, received $80 million from Breakthrough Energy Ventures, a collective founded by Gates in 2015, and Generation Investment Management.

In 2022, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation awarded Nature’s Fynd $4.75 million over several years to advance its innovative fermentation technology for producing Fy, a "nutritional fungi protein."