Mealworms share stage with Iron Man actor in mini movie

The making of the 85-second film follows the decision by Downey Jr’s FootPrint Coalition to take part in a major fundraising round by French mealworm producer Ÿnsect.

The company has secured $372 million to complete the world’s largest insect farm, which is due to open in Amiens, northern France, in early 2022.

Fish stocks

Downey Jr appears in animated form in the video and provides a voiceover in which he says almost 90% of global fish stocks are either fully exploited or overfished, which matters because aquaculture is expanding and “we’re feeding fish to the other fish”, which he adds “is gross and weird”.

The actor, most famous for playing Marvel Comics hero Iron Man, adds: “Why can’t we change that up with mealworms?”

“This is do-able. Just one ton of mealworm protein can save five tons of wild fish,” adds Downey, who says that mealworms produce the same amount of protein on 98% less land, although he doesn’t explain what crop he’s comparing the mealworms to. The video can be found on this page of the FootPrint Coaltion’s website.

Vertical farm

Ÿnsect’s 130-feet high vertical farm will produce 20,000 tonnes of insect-based protein for fish, farmed animal and pet feed and 80,000 tonnes of fertiliser products annually and create 500 direct and indirect jobs.

The company has said it already has sales contracts worth $105m, including orders from aquafeed giant Skretting. 

The FootPrint Coalition, founded by Downey Jr, is a “coalition of investors, donors, and storytellers committed to scaling technologies to restore our planet”.

It invests in high-growth, sustainability-focused companies, makes charitable grants to non-profits that advance the adoption of environmental technology.

“We entertain, inform, and mobilise the public with original and curated content,” adds the coalition on its website.