Insects as Food and Feed SIG Conference 2026: Science, Industry and Innovation
19 November @ 09:30 – 20 November @ 17:00
Insects as Food and Feed SIG Conference 2026: Science, Industry and Innovation
Date: Thursday 19th – Friday 20th November 2026 (timings TBC)
Venue: New RES Headquarters, Wenlock Road, Near Street, London
After the success of our October 2025 meeting, we’re delighted to share that planning for IAFF2026 is now underway. This will be the RES’s first major event at our new Headquarters and an exciting opportunity for attendees to explore the new space, including our library and rare books collection.
More details including keynote speakers and an evening social will be announced shortly. Meanwhile you can submit your abstract and register below.
Please note that due to venue capacity this event will be capped at 100 attendees, so we advise you to book early to secure your place.
Here’s what our 2025 delegates had to say:
“Well organised, good agenda & speakers, valuable insights and diverse perspectives.”
“It was packed with amazing information (relevant to my research) and rejuvenated my energies to move forward with studies.”
“What a breath of fresh air. Compared to previous events I’ve been to, the breadth of topics covered was superb and the quality of the Keynote speakers excellent. This was everything you hope for at such an event.”
“I enjoyed the diversity of attendees, both academic and industry.”
Keynotes
Marc Pignitter, University of Vienna
Beyond Protein: Insect Oils as the Next Generation of Sustainable Functional Lipids
Marc Pignitter is Full Professor of Analytical Food Chemistry and Food Development at the University of Vienna, Austria. His research focuses on food lipidomics, oxidative stability, and the development of sustainable and functional food lipids. He combines advanced analytical approaches, including LC-MS- and GC-MS-based lipidomics, to investigate lipid composition, processing effects, and bioactive compounds in plant- and animal-derived food systems.
He serves as Editor-in-Chief of the European Journal of Lipid Science and Technology and is Division Chair for Lipid Oxidation and Quality within the American Oil Chemists’ Society (AOCS). He is also Division Chair of Analytics at Euro Fed Lipid. His work bridges fundamental lipid chemistry and applied food innovation with a strong focus on sustainability and food quality.
Tom Berry, Former Founder & CEO of Nutrition Technologies
Tom Berry is an experienced insect founder and operator with over a decade of hands-on experience in the global agritech and insect-as-feed sectors.
From 2015 to 2025, Tom was the Co-Founder and CEO of Nutrition Technologies, where he built Asia’s first industrial scale black soldier fly production factility. During this time he focused on the day-to-day realities of scaling industrial insect production and building out regional supply chains in Asia. He guided the company from early-stage R&D through multiple investment rounds to full commercial-scale manufacturing, ultimately steering the business through its acquisition by Sentara Group in early 2025.
Following the transition, Tom returned to the UK to found Wildwyn, a new venture that integrates insect-derived and circular-economy inputs into the UK and European pet and agri markets. His focus remains on the commercial application and product-market fit of insect products across multiple sectors.
More keynotes will be confirmed shortly…
Abstracts
We are now accepting abstracts for talks and posters, along the following themes:
- Environment & Economy
- Policy (regulation, risk and sector growth)
- Integrated systems (environment and circular economy)
- Scaling biology into industry (genetics, physiology and engineering)
- Nutrition (Food & Feed)
The deadline for abstract submissions is Friday 14th August, 5pm.
Partner with us
We would love to hear from you if you are interested in partnering with us at IAFF26, as a sponsor or exhibitor. Contact fran.fleming@royensoc.co.uk for more information.
Convenors
Jess is the Royal Entomological Society’s Project Officer. With a strong academic and industry background in vector-borne diseases, she maintains extensive links across academia and industry, including ongoing supervision and support of students. Elected a Fellow of the Society in 2025, she works across a broad portfolio of projects supporting emerging member needs, strengthening links between science and industry, and helping the RES develop innovative services for newly evolving areas of entomology.
Jess leads the Society’s work on insects as food and feed, supporting the development of best practice, policy-relevant guidance, and engagement with industry and other stakeholders.
Daniel Amor, University of Bristol
Daniel pursued a PhD at Nottingham, focusing on the relationship between insect protein structure and functionality in food systems – particularly in developing sustainable, high-protein snack products using compression popping. Following his PhD, Daniel continued as a researcher at Nottingham, contributing to a wide range of projects in soft matter biomaterials and biointerfaces, from fundamental biomaterials studies to clinical applications of non-fermentable fibre.
Daniel now teaches Biochemistry at the University of Bristol, where he co-convenes IAFF.
Kieran Robertson, Queen’s University Belfast
Kieran is a TEDx Speaker, Convenor of the RES Food & Feed Special Interest Group, Co-Chair and Secretary of the IWRS Early Career Committee, and a PhD Researcher at the Institute for Global Food Security at Queen’s University Belfast. Throughout his PhD, Robertson seeks to research the application of insects and insect proteins in livestock feed to reduce soybean dependence and support sustainable agri-food systems.
Registration
Note: By registering for and attending this event, you acknowledge that photographs and/or video recordings may be taken. These images may be used by the Royal Entomological Society for promotional, educational, and archival purposes, including publication on our website, social media, and printed materials. If you do not wish to be photographed or filmed, please inform a member of the organising team on arrival or contact us in advance at events@royensoc.co.uk.
This year, you can choose to attend a single day, or both days of the conference. View the prices and register below.
Registration Deadline: 13 November 17:00 (GMT)
| SINGLE DAY | |
| RES Student Member | £30 |
| RES Member | £60 |
| RES Associate Member or Non Member | £120 |
| TWO DAYS | |
| RES Student Member | £50 |
| RES Member | £110 |
| RES Associate Member or Non Member | £200 |
