The soldier fly in the battle for addressing global challenges

New nutritional sources for a growing population and eco-sustainable valorisation of organic waste intended for landfills: two major challenges for research and only one hero, the soldier fly Hermetia illucens. Its larvae can grow on any organic matter, including food waste with a 70% reduction of substrate, and are characterized by valuable nutritional profiles encouraging research for their use as animal feed as well as for biodiesel and pharmacological active molecules productions within a circular economy and sustainable consumption of resources (SDG 12). But that’s not all, the residue from the bioconversion process is an excellent biocompost for agriculture.