Soldier Fly Larvae illegal, raised on human waste?

[Outta Here]

I recently ordered 15 lbs of soldier fly larvae ($85) because my chicks are nuts about it, and I use it to lure them back into their coop when their guard dog needs a break. The worms are "manufactured" in the US, but in small print I saw they were farmed in China. It's a fact that that worms are farmed on human waste in China https://www.afr.com/world/asia/how-...g-human-waste-into-black-gold-20150202-133xdd.

I've heard it's illegal for commercial egg sellers to feed them because it's raised on human waste in China. https://cluckin.net/why-is-it-illegal-to-feed-mealworms-to-chickens.html I also read a scientific study showing that parasites from raising worms on human waste (like those that cause Mad Cow Disease) can exist in the dried worms.
When I tried to stop the order, the online seller refunded my money and gave them to me for free. I asked for documentation that they weren't farmed on human waste, willing to pay if she could show proof, but she never answered me.
Anyone have online links to confirm or debunk whether it's illegal for commercial egg sellers to feed worms because of this? Anyone have proof that the worms farmed in China are not raised on human waste?

 

[Rhodebar Lover]

Oh my gosh! I never would have even considered that. Definitely following this thread. That is wild. I personally have fed Grubblies soldier fly larva and they're grown in the US and CA on FDA certified farms. I certainly will be sticking with this brand now unless I find out otherwise https://grubblyfarms.com/pages/mission

 

[Geckolady]

OMG! I opened a big bag and gave them some yesterday. Definitely following this thread.

 

[Geena]

From poo to food

 

[Outta Here]

Oh my gosh! I never would have even considered that. Definitely following this thread. That is wild. I personally have fed Grubblies soldier fly larva and they're grown in the US and CA on FDA certified farms. I certainly will be sticking with this brand now unless I find out otherwise https://grubblyfarms.com/pages/mission

I've just sent another message to the manufacturer, whose website and insert shows the American flag and claims to be FDA approved, using only traceable food waste. I've asked them again to provide documentation that since they are actually farmed in China, and China openly admits to programs growning worms with human waste, that these were not. Also I've asked again for documentation that they are indeed approved by FDA. When I get the results, I'll reveal the brand. But I've just learned that even well known American companies (like Manna Pro) that sell their mealworms through Tractor Supply have them farmed in China...

 

[Outta Here]

Researching this morning:
Here's one article about transmission of parasites to humans using worms farmed on feces to feed their animals:
"Black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens) larvae can be reared on almost all organic matters and may be used as a source for animal feed. However, the risk of disease transmission is high when animals are fed larvae or prepupae raised on waste materials that may contain potentially infectious pathogens. We qualitatively examined the effect of larval intestine extracts on the coccidian parasites Eimeria nieschulzi and Eimeria tenella and on eggs of the nematode Ascaris suum. Furthermore, we focused on the question of whether the persistent parasite stages (oocysts and eggs) would be digested, pass through living larvae, or attach to the larval surface. Neither living black soldier fly larvae nor black soldier fly larval intestine extracts had any effect on oocysts or eggs of the studied parasites. Thus, untreated H. illucens larvae as animal feed pose a risk of disease transmission to animals and humans, and a simple larval washing step is not sufficient for total removal of parasites."
Whole article: https://meridian.allenpress.com/jfp...ransmission-of-Animal?redirectedFrom=fulltext

I also found this from FDA" "Rearing BSFL on chicken manure and feeding them to fish or chickens or humans is thus not allowed in the USA at this time. " If it's illegal to feed BSFL raised on chicken manure, I would surely think you couldn't use worms raised on human waste! Whole article: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5664030/

But BSFL raised on food waste, like Grubbly Farms sells, is FDA approved for chickens.
https://randyschickenblog.squarespa...-fly-grubs-feed-your-flock-amp-save-the-world

Still researching. Any documentation on the topic (not just that your chickens love them--mine do, too!) greatly appreciated.

 

[Outta Here]

I wrote to Grubbly Farms and they said:

Here at Grubbly Farms, all of our partners have a FDA registration number and they must adhere to FSMA (Food Safety Modernization Act). We require a letter of guarantee from each supplier outlining the quality program standard(s) that they adhere to (HACCP, ISO, etc) while also ensuring all grubs are grown/harvested on EU standards which are the highest standards in the world and does not allow animal manure as a feed for the grubs.

I'm still waiting for an answer from the company I bought from...

 

[Texasclucker]

That's why i feed mealworms thats disgusting (edit) i didn't see that it could also be mealworms fed with poop i guess corn it is from now on

 

[Outta Here]

I guess the whole issue is not that it's disturbing for chickens to eat them; it's the risk of passing parasites to humans through their eggs or meat. I would investigate to see whether mealworms are also farmed in China.

Here's an article that talks about mealworms possibly being raised on human waste: https://cluckin.net/why-is-it-illegal-to-feed-mealworms-to-chickens.html

 

[Texasclucker]

That's really gross and like you mentioned basically how mad cow disease happened and I'm sure I can speak for a lot of us when I say we love to eat our fresh eggs i just think that's disgusting