Circa Biotech: How a UAE startup is using flies to transform waste into agricultural feed

In the UAE, about 40% of food prepared is wasted annually, costing the country around US$1.6 billion. In 2023, the UAE launched a national action plan to reduce food loss and waste by 50% by 2030. While several food loss and waste initiatives, such as the ne’ma initiative, have been initiated at the national level, the private sector is also stepping up with scalable and innovative technological solutions to contribute to the UAE’s ongoing efforts to create a more sustainable food system.

Circa Biotech is a UAE-based agribusiness startup that upcycles food waste into high-quality animal feed using industrial insect farming. Founded in 2020, the startup aims to produce 22,000 tons of animal feed a year by processing 200 tons of food waste a day. By doing so, Circa Biotech is helping meet the increasing local demand for livestock feed and curbing dependence on fishmeal in aquaculture, which has seen an increase in price and availability in recent years. 

Circa Biotech, being the first startup of its kind in the region, utilizes an insect, the black soldier fly larvae (BSF), to convert organic waste into high-protein animal feed and organic fertilizers. BSF feeds on food waste collected by the startup from supermarkets and food processing operators, which is then metabolized into proteins and oil. Due to the BSF’s short 45-day lifecycle and its high fertility rate, the insect is considered ideal for feed production. 

The BSF is nurtured in an industrial control system (ICS) environment with sensors that record humidity and carbon dioxide levels and real-time temperature, allowing for efficient consumption of water and other resources. Through this innovative technology and industrial process, Circa Biotech is transforming waste into a range of high-quality products, including oil and insect protein. Other by-products can also be extracted from the BSF, including lauric acid which is used in cosmetic and medicine production, and Chitin, a derivative of glucose that can be modified for water purification systems uses. 

The startup is already making a significant impact in the UAE’s food industry. During Circa Biotech’s six-month trial at select stores in Abu Dhabi, supermarket chain Spinneys was able to decrease food waste sent to landfills by 54% by diverting it to the startup’s agricultural feed production facility.

Circa Biotech’s nature-based solution contributes to the circular economy by locally producing organic feed and fertilizers in a sustainable way and diverting waste away from the landfill, reducing methane emissions that come from decomposing organic matter.