Podcast: Bites and Bytes Podcast (LS 26 · TOP 10% what is this?)
Episode: Your Food Waste Has a Second Life. Meet Insect Agriculture with Dr. Heather Jordan & Cheryl Preyer
Pub date: 2026-05-05

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Most people have never heard of insect agriculture. By the end of this episode, you’ll wonder how you missed it.

Bites & Bytes Podcast host Kristin King sits down with Dr. Heather Jordan, microbiologist, professor at Mississippi State University, and site director for the NSF-funded Center for Insect Biomanufacturing and Innovation (CIBI), and Cheryl Preyer, the center’s industry liaison and former fast food executive, to unpack one of the most quietly consequential shifts happening in the global food system right now.

For consumers, this is where your food waste is going next and why that matters for everything from the fish on your plate to the cost of your groceries. Black soldier fly, cricket, and mealworm farming aren’t science fiction. They’re converting food waste into high-quality livestock feed, fertilizer, and protein at scale. Research is even showing promise in using these insects to remove plastics, antibiotics, and heavy metals from our environment.

For professionals in cyber-physical risk, OT security, and food and agriculture cybersecurity, pay attention. Insect agriculture facilities are automated, sensor-dependent production environments with real operational technology vulnerabilities, and this industry is scaling fast with limited security frameworks in place (aka a factory)

This is the circular bioeconomy in action. And it already exists.

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Guest Contact Information:
Dr. Heather Jordan
Professor of Microbiology and Molecular Biology, Mississippi State University, and Site Director, Center for Insect Biomanufacturing and Innovation (CIBI)

Cheryl Preyer
Industry Liaison Officer, Center for Insect Biomanufacturing and Innovation
Center for Insect Biomanufacturing and Innovation

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Episode Key Highlights

‍ 00:08:01 — "I Traded Fries for Flies" — Cheryl’s Origin Line

00:11:49 — Insect Farming Is Livestock Farming

00:12:37 — "Feed the Food That Feeds Us."

00:16:02 — What a Black Soldier Fly Actually Does as an Adult

00:23:19 — Why Organic Chickens Need Synthetic Methionine

00:23:50 — The Lauric Acid and Coconut Connection

00:28:34 — Using Everything But the Oink

00:39:51 — The Cricket Densovirus Crisis That Wiped Out Facilities

00:50:15 — Heather’s West Africa Origin Story

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📘 Info on Kristin’s upcoming book📘
“Securing What Feeds Us: Cybersecurity in Food and Agriculture”
Publish Date: September 29, 2026
Published by Wiley
📘 Pre-Order Links:
Pre-Order Link (Amazon): ⁠https://www.amazon.com/Securing-What-Feeds-Cybersecurity-Agriculture/dp/1394391005#detailBullets_feature_div⁠

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🎤 Book Kristin Demoranville to Speak

To invite Kristin to speak at your conference, corporate event, webinar, or workshop, visit the website and submit a request.

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🛡️ About AnzenSage & AnzenOT

AnzenSage is a cybersecurity advisory firm specializing in security resilience for the food, agriculture, zoo, and aquarium industries. AnzenSage offers practical, strategic guidance to help organizations anticipate risks and build resilience. Learn more about their offerings at anzensage.com.
AnzenOT helps organizations understand and prioritize operational risk faster, without slow or static assessments. Compliance supported, including NIST, ISA/IEC 62443-2-1, NIS2 Directive, CMMC, and many other industry-specific frameworks. Subscription access is available, including a student option. Learn more at anzenot.com.

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