DRAFT KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2921: 2020  
First  Edition  
  
 © KEBS 2020   
 Production  and handling  of insects for 
food and f eed— Code of Practice   
 
  DKS 2921: 2020  
ii © KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 TECHNICAL COMMITTEE REPRESENTATION  
The following organizations were represented on the Technical Committee:  
Jaramongi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology  
Jomo Kenyat ta University of Science and Technology  
Egerton University  
Ministry of Health – Nutrition and Dietetics Unit  
Ministry of Health – Public Health  
Kenya Medical Research Institute  
Government Chemist  
Kenyatta National Hospital  
Aga Khan Hospital University  
Nestle Kenya Ltd 
Total Lifestyle Change Ltd  
Veekay Ltd  
Kensalt Ltd.  
Kenya Bureau of Standards — Secretariat  
REVISION OF KENYA STANDARDS  
In order to keep abreast of progress in industry, Kenya Standards shall be regularly reviewed.  Suggestions 
for improvements  to published standards, addressed to the Managing Director, Kenya Bureau of Standards, 
are welcome.  
© Kenya Bureau of Standards, 2020  
Copyright. Users are reminded that by virtue of Section 25 of the Copyright Act, Cap. 130 of 2001 of  the Laws of Kenya, c opyright 
subsists in all Kenya Standards and except as provided under Section 25 of this Act, no Kenya Standard produced by Kenya Bure au of 
Standards may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system in any form or transmitted by any means without prior perm ission in writing 
from the Managing Director.   DRAFT KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2921: 2020   
First  Edition  
 
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  iii 
   
 
Production  and handling  of insects for food 
and f eed — Code of practice   
Kenya Bureau of Standards, Popo Road, Off Mombasa Road,  
P.O. Box 54974 - 00200,  Nairobi, Kenya  
 +254 020 6948000, + 254 722202137, + 254 734600471  
 info@kebs.org  
 @KEBS_ke  
 kenya bureau of standards (kebs)   DKS 2921: 2020  
iv © KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  
 Foreword  
This Kenya Standard was prepared by the Nutrition and Foods for Special Dietary Uses  Technical Committee 
under the guidance of the Standards Projects Committee, an d it is in accordance with the procedures of the 
Kenya Bureau of Standards  
Assurance of Food security and nutrition from traditional plant and animal sources is increasingly becoming a 
challenge partly due to the growing population , reduced agricultural la nd and the ever changing climatic 
condition. This has resulted to exploration of alternative sources of food and nutrition for both food and feed 
industry. Insect farming and production is one of the novel options that ha s been refocussed with tremendous 
effort being put in place to enhance production of edible insects and insects that may be used in animal feed 
as a substitute for nutrients such as protein. Given that this is a new area and the fact that uncontrolled 
farming of insect may itself negate gai ns achieved in relation to food safety  and security , there is need to have 
the practice guided so as to produce safe products while effectively controlling any undesirable outcome. It is 
against this understanding that this code of practice was developed t o guide farmers in Kenya on both 
confined and semi cultivation of insect . 
During the preparation of this standard, reference was made to the following document (s):  
IPIFF Guide on Good Hygiene Practices for European Union of insects as food and feed  
CAC/RC P 1-1969 General Principles of Food Hygiene  
KS EAS 39:2000 Hygiene in the food and drink  manufacturing industry — Code of  practice  
KS 2711: 2017 Dried insects’  products for compounding animal feed – Specification  
FAO 2013.Edible insects Future prospects fo r food and feed security. FAO, Rome  
Acknowledgement is hereby made for the assistance derived from these sources  
 DRAFT KENYA STANDARD  DKS 2921: 2020  
 
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  1 
 Production  and handling  of insects for food and feed — Code of practice  
1 Scope  
This draft Kenya code of practice  provides the requirements for sustainable establishment  and operation of  
wild harvested or domesticated  insect  farming, production, harvesting  and post harvesting handling i.e. 
Processing , storage, packaging , labelling  and transport  of insects for human consumption and feed industr y.  
Annex A provides a general guidance for semi cultivation of insects  and wild harvesting  
The code of practice is not applicable to the food and feed industry where value addition of the edible insects 
and insects for feed are processed to final products .  
2 Normative references  
The following referenced documents referred to in the text in such a way that some or all of their content 
constitutes requirements of this document. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For undated 
references, th e latest edition of the referenced document (including any amendments) applies.  
KS 2829 Food animals Welfare -Code of practice . 
KS ARS/AES 01 Agriculture -Sustainability and eco -Labelling -Requirements . 
KS EAS 151 Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points (HACC P). 
Environmental Management Coordination Act Cap 387   
Public Health Act Cap 242  
Wildlife  Conservation and Management Act, 2013  
3 Terms and definitions  
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.  
3.1 
Domesticated  
Is farm ing of insects in established farms  where the insects are held in confinement  
3.2 
Production  
Is insect farming activities including post -harvest handling at the farm level  and those harvested from the wild -  
3.3 
Insect farming  
Is rearing of insects which i ncludes feeding, growth phase, harvesting and post -harvest handling activities  
3.4 
Semi cultivation of insects  
Is domesticated insects that  are not held in confinement rather they are in their natural environment which is 
manipulated to some degree to prod uce the edible insects   DKS 2921: 2020  
2 © KEBS:2020:  – All rights reserved  
 3.5 
Wild harvest ing  
Is harvesting of edible insects in their natural environment without any modification  
3.6  
Waste   
any substance which constitutes scrap material, an effluent, unwanted surplus substance,  article which 
requires di sposing of as being broken, worn out, contaminated or otherwise spoiled  
3.7 
Insect waste  products  
include parts from insects  that are not necessarily needed in a food or feed products.  (insects that have died 
naturally, pupa e and larvae exuviae , excrement  (residue or  frass ), that has  to be discarded  
3.8 
Post harvesting handling    
 include  harvesting , processing, storage, packaging, labelling and transport.  
4 General Requirements  
Operators of confined insect farms  for food and feed should ensure that  
a) The f arms  and/or harvesting sites  are legally established and in compliance with applicable laws and 
regulations of the country such as the Wildlife  Conservation and Management Act, 2013 and any 
applicable county government legislations or regulations related t o the production of the insects  
b) Sustainability of their production is in compliance to KS ARS/AES 01;  
c) Welfare of the insect are guaranteed and to the minimum comply with KS 2829  
5 Specific requirements  
5.1 Personnel  
Operators of insect farm sh ould ensure that any person (s) involved in the insect farming is given information, 
instruction, training and guidance  as well as provided with necessary equipment and personal protective 
equipment so as  to carry out their work  efficiently . 
5.1.1  Training  of personne l  
a) All personnel should be aware of their role and responsibility in protecting the insects from 
contamination or deterioration.  
b) Any person deployed in an insect farm should be equipped with basic training or awareness on food 
safety  and to  the minimum on  the principles of Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points as outlined in 
KS EAS 151 . 
c) Business operators or their farm supervisors should have sufficient knowledge and training in the 
following aspect:  
i). Behaviour of insects;  
ii). Food and feed safety principles;   DKS 2921: 2020  
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  3 
 iii). Ability to identify species of insects;  
iv). Farmed insect’s species life cycle;  
v). Handling of insects; and  
vi). How to prevent farmed insects from escaping  
d) To ensure smooth operation and management of all personnel, the business operator shall ensure 
that a farm for  insects has a person who is overall in charge of the farm and who should poses  
specialised training  and is able to:  
i). Ensure critical control points are established, implemented, maintained and updated;  
ii). Establish Good Manufacturing and/or Agricultural pract ices in the farm;  
iii). Identify emerging issues within the farm and establish both correction and corrective actions;  
iv). Coordinate and facilitate continuous/induction trainings  of staff working in the farm  
e) In-house continuous training programs should be specific to improve the knowledge of staff and 
should at least improve knowledge and skills related to:  
i). the nature of the insects, in particular their ability to be infected or carryover of pathogenic or 
spoilage micro -organisms;  
ii). the manner in which the insects are  handled and packed, including the probability of 
contamination;  
iii). the extent and nature of processing or further preparation before final consumption;  
iv). the conditions under which the insects will be stored; and  
v). the expected length of time before consumption.  
5.1.2  Personnel h ygiene  
5.1.2.1  People are a potential source of disease producing micro -organisms. Prevention of contamination of 
insects by personnel depends on everyone being aware of the potential risks associated with bad hygiene 
practices and behavi ng in a manner that will prevent these risks. Management of farms have specific 
responsibility for developing a good hygiene ethos in the workforce which can be achieved by interventions 
such as the provision of good personnel facilities and constant vigil ance  
5.1.2. 2 To achieve high standards of personnel hygiene in the farm, personnel hygiene facilities should be 
available to ensure that an appropriate degree of personal hygiene can be maintained and to avoid 
contaminating the insects. The  management shou ld ensure that:  
a) All persons entering insect farming and processing areas including visitors and sub -contractors shall 
wear appropriate protective clothing that shall only be used at the farm premises;   
b) All persons  suffering from any illness or injury shoul d not be permitted to access the  production area  
Adequate toilet facilities and associated hand washing facilities shall be provided in compliance to 
Public Health Act Cap 242 of the Laws of Kenya;  
c) Smoking should only be permitted in clearly designated are as which shall not include production  
areas. Chewing gum, eating sweets or food should be discouraged in production areas  
d) The operator should ensure that the farm has facility that can provide basic first aid facilities   DKS 2921: 2020  
4 © KEBS:2020:  – All rights reserved  
 5.2 Infrastructure  
5.2.1  Establishme nt: Design and facilities  
5.2.1.1  The operator in designing the insect farming facilities should pay  special attention to good hygienic 
design and construction, appropriate location, and the provision of adequate facilities, which are necessary to 
enable h azards to be effectively controlled.  
5.2.1.2  The layout of the premises should be designed to ensure a safe environment and prevent 
contamination, allow maintenance and minimise deterioration  
5.2.1. 3 The operator should  in particular  consider the following : 
a) The insect farms should be located away from:  
i). environmentally polluted areas and industrial activities which pose a serious threat of 
contaminating food  
ii). areas subject to flooding unless sufficient safeguards are provided;  
iii). areas prone to infestations o f pests;  
iv). areas where wastes, either solid or liquid, cannot be removed effectively; and  
v). loud external noise that could disturb the rearing of specific insect species.  
b) The selected design, layout, construction, siting, and size  should:  
i). Permit adequate ma intenance, cleaning and/or disinfection  such as use of foot bath , avoid or 
minimise airborne ;  
ii). Prevent contamination, and provide adequate working space to allow for the hygienic 
performance of all  operations ; 
iii). Ensure p roduction units in which insects are r eared must stay closed or fitted with nets or grids or 
any other appropriate means to exclude other pests, or the contamination with other insects, and 
prevent the presence of rodents ; 
iv). Have adequate natural and/or artificial light and a controlled environm ent if necessary ; 
v). be designed to avoid accidental release of insects from the production  facilities ; 
vi). provide a different room for storing/holding processed insects, in case the operator produces both 
types of products  
vii). provide adequate drainage and waste di sposal systems and facilities;  
viii). ensure that a ccess to the storage, breeding and rearing areas is res tricted to the authorised staff;  
ix). provide a mechanism proper ventilation system (mechanical or natural)  so as to maintain 
appropriate temperature and humidity  as required by insects and staff working in the farm;  and 
x). where necessary provide for proper zoning and appropriate controls/segregations to avoid any 
possible cross contaminations.   DKS 2921: 2020  
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  5 
 5.2.2  Equipment  
5.2.2.1  Any machine or equipment used in insect farming s hould not introduce or increase any hazard either 
to the live insects or that which have been harvested and processed  
5.2.2.2  All machines or equipment deployed should be fit for purpose, installed and maintained such that it : 
i). permits adequate maintenance and cleaning;  
ii). functions in accordance with its intended use;  
iii). facilitates good hygiene practices;  
iv). be properly maintained.  
5.2.2.3 Where c ontainers for waste and inedible or hazardous substances  provided, they should b e 
i). clearly identified for their intended purpose;  
ii). constructed of impervious material which can be readily cleaned and disinfected;  
iii). closed, when not in immediate use; and  
iv). preferably fitted with a foot -operated lid or other suitable means to minimise contamination by 
hands.  
5.2.3  Pest Control manag ement  
5.2.3.1  Pests pose a major threat to the safety and suitability of food and derived from insects. Pest 
infestations can occur where there are breeding sites and a supply of food. Good hygiene practices should be 
employed to avoid creating an environm ent conducive to pests.  
5.2.3.2  The operator should develop and implement a pest management program  including such thing as 
baits, use of chemicals and pesticides as appropriate.  
5.2.3.3  The pest management program should be monitored and improved where ne cessary for effectiveness  
5.2.4  Waste Management  
In addition to compliance with Environmental Management Coordination Act Cap 387 of the Laws of Kenya, 
the operator should ensure that:  
a) Suitable provision should be made for the removal and storage of waste.  Waste should not be allowed 
to accumulate in insect farming area, insect storage, and other working areas and the adjoining 
environment except so far as is unavoidable for the proper functioning of the business. Waste stores 
must be kept appropriately cle an. 
b) The waste  must be disposed of in an appropriate way to prevent the contamination of  the rearing 
environment, the substrates used to feed the insects and the insects themselves.  
c) Insect waste products  should  be properly  treated before  disposing  to preven t any further 
contamination to the environment.   DKS 2921: 2020  
6 © KEBS:2020:  – All rights reserved  
 5.3 Insects  farming  
5.3.1  Insect flock  
a) Flock management : Operators of confined farms should use breeding flocks of a known and traceable 
origin. The operator should also maintain consistent population dens ity at each developmental stage; 
and  
b) The operator should ensure that the insects are farmed in a controlled growing environment designed 
and maintained as guided by this code;  
5.3.2 Rearing of insects   
5.3.2.1  Rearing of the insect is the most critical aspe ct in entire insect farming. Operators are required to apply 
Good Agricultural and manufacturing practices as appropriate and ensure sustainability of operations as 
guided by KS ARS/AES  01. 
5.3.2.2  Insect farming for purpose of this code is divided into 4 stages namely:  
a) Feeding of insects;  
b) Growth phases;  
c) Harvesting phase; and  
d) Primary processing  
a) Feeding of insect  
Operators should ensure that insects are provided with sufficient substrate and water to ensure opti mal growth 
of the insects being farmed. The operator should apply any technical or organisational measures that they 
deem necessary to prevent any risk of contamination of the substrate.  
An operator should apply the following principle directly or modified to ensure good nutrition and safety of the 
insect : 
i). The substrate should be selected by taking into consideration the chosen insect species, based on its 
mycotic, bacterial and viral disease resistance  
ii). Substrate delivering equipment should not introduce any hazard to the insects  
iii). boxes/cages containi ng insects and equipment destined  to provide the substrate and/or the water to 
the insect between each batch of production  should be thoroughly cleaned . 
iv). The operator should put in place a traceability  record for substrate used in feeding the insect. They 
should be to the minimum be able to identify the source  and time the substrate was fed  
Where an operator is using crops to feed the insect s, they shall ensure that any pesticide residue on t he crops 
shall be in accordance to the Codex Alimentarius Commissio n for that crop.  
b) Growth phase  
i). The operator or their management staff should have  a good understanding of the main insect species 
(including their different life  cycles) which is  necessary for the development of suitable rearing 
methods   
ii). As a general rul e, the operator should control the following aspect as appropriate depending on the 
insect at the farm   DKS 2921: 2020  
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  7 
 a. The temperature: insect growth rate is heavily influenced by temperature levels. 
Temperatures between 20°C to 50°C are most beneficial in the majority of  cases.  
b. Operators should ensure adequate lighting depending on  the insects  
c. Humidity: temperatures must correlate with a specific level of relative humidity, depending on 
the phase of development. The operator should be aware of the appropriate humidity 
requirement for their insects;  
d. Enclosed space: the insect colony should be enclosed and secured to facilitate pest control 
and prevent insect stock  escape. To achieve this, it is recommended to use multiple self -
contained spaces, each with its own population,  water supply and food sources . In the event 
of escape, the operator should notify the relevant government authority.  
e. Ventilation: proper ventilation of the premises is required and must be suited to the species 
characteristics and projected temperature/hu midity levels. This ensures clean rearing 
conditions and avoids cross -contamination through the air.  
Note: Each producer  should optimise and tailor the rearing conditions according to the  specific insect species 
to ensure that risks are minimised  
C) Harves ting phase  
No fresh substrate should be added prior to harvesting: in some cases, insects should be  removed from the 
growing substrate several hours before harvesting.  
Harvesting techniques differs from insect to another and therefore the operator should b e fami liar with the 
harvesting requirements of their flock. For example, holometabolic insects (i.e. mealworms, black soldier fly, 
housefly) fully grown larvae are harvested, whereas in hemimetabolous insects (e.g. crickets and 
grasshoppers) animals are ha rvested  at young nymphaea or adult stage.  Cricket adults are often collected by 
sieving from the growing substrate or by insect collecting nets while Black soldier fly larvae may naturally (at a 
mature level) migrate from the moist substrate to a dry envir onment, where they can be easily sieved 
manually or mechanically.  
d) Post harvest handling   
Post-harvest  handling  should be managed in a way that ensures that the harvested insects are not exposed to 
possible contamination they may be carried over to the f ood or feed.  
 
Post-harvest processing  such as drying of insects should done within a short time after harvesting and stored 
in a cool, dry place.  
 
The processing objective should  to 
i). avoid the use of areas where the environment poses a threat to the safety  of food;  
ii). control contaminants, pests and diseases of animals and plants in such a way as not to pose a threat 
to food safety; and  
iii). adopting practices and measures to ensure products  are produced under appropriately hygienic 
conditions.  
5.5 Storage  
The ope rator should ensure that there are measures in place to:  
a) sort the harvested insects from materials which  are evidently unfit for human consumption;   DKS 2921: 2020  
8 © KEBS:2020:  – All rights reserved  
 b) dispose of any rejected material in a hygienic manner and in accordance to the guidance of this code; 
and 
c) Protect harvested insects  from contamination by pests, or by chemical, physical or microbiological 
contaminants or other objectionable substances during handling, storage and transport.  
5.6 Packaging and Labelling  
5.6.1 Packaging  
Harvested and processed inse cts should be packaged in appropriate food grade packaging material that 
should protect and safeguard the integrity  of the processed insects.  
5.6.2 Labelling  
The packages should contain the following information:  
i). Name of the insect;  
ii). Form of processing e.g.  dried  
iii). Name of the packer/producer/ processor  
iv). Date of post harvesting processing  
v). Expiry date  
vi). Where the insect was fed with a substrate known to contain any allergen, the statement, ‘Insect fed 
with substrate containing XXXX, which is a known allergen’, whe re XXX will be the specific material  
vii). Storage instructions  
5.7 Records  
The business operator should maintain records of his activities including but not limited to  
i). Staff training;  
ii). Substrate used in each flock and its source;  
iii). Source of flock or  flock data  
iv). Production capacities;  
v). Corrections and Corrective measures undertaken during farming;  
vi). Non complying products and how they were handled  
vii). Disposal of any waste and insect waste products  
 
 
  DKS 2921: 2020  
© KEBS 2020  – All rights reserved  9 
 Annex A  
(Normative)  
Semi -cultivation of insects  and wild harvesting  
General principles  
In recognizing the traditional farming and harvesting of edible insects in Kenya which is largely seasonal  and 
given that the practice rarely involves the tending of insects thus not isolated from their wild populations,  
operators opting t o enhance this farming should ensure that:  
Harvested insects are of the same species;  
Post-harvest  handling should be done in accordance with this code;  
The insect harvesting zones should be located away from:  
i). environmentally polluted areas and industrial activities which pose a serious threat of 
contaminating insects;  
ii). areas prone to infestations of pests; and  
iii). areas with other solid or liquid wastes.  
 
 
 
 DKS 2921: 2020    
 
© KEBS 2020 – All rights reserved