On April 16, 2026, president Cao Derong, on behalf of CFNA, and chairman Geert Kuipers, on behalf of New Protein World (NPW), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in Beijing to strengthen cooperation in the insect protein sector.

Karel Van Bommel, agricultural counsellor of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in China; Jan Teunis Van Hoef, vice chairman of NPW; and Xu Peng, China representative of VanDrie Group, also attended the meeting and exchange.

During the meeting, president Cao Derong noted that China’s insect protein industry is currently at an early yet rapidly developing stage. He said that CFNA’s insect protein industry sub-chamber has been actively promoting the application of insect proteins such as black soldier fly and mealworm in feed and novel food sectors. He expressed the hope of drawing on the Netherlands’ advanced technologies, standards systems, and market development experience in the field of insect protein, so as to deepen bilateral cooperation in areas including mutual recognition of standards, equipment and technologies, and joint ventures.

Chairman Geert Kuipers stated that the Netherlands and the European Union have already established a relatively mature industry ecosystem in insect breeding, processing, and application. NPW aims to integrate resources across the entire EU industry chain and promote in-depth cooperation with China in standards, technologies, and markets. He highly commended CFNA’s efforts in the breeding, processing, and application of mealworms and black soldier flies, and expressed his expectation for further strengthening cooperation between the two sides.

Karel Van Bommel, agricultural counsellor of the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in China, noted that China is the largest non-EU export market for Dutch agricultural products. He said that the two countries have already established a solid foundation for cooperation in agricultural trade, floriculture, edible fungi, and other sectors, and that insect protein is expected to become a new growth area for bilateral agricultural cooperation.

The signing of the MOU marks an important step forward in cooperation between CFNA and the Dutch insect protein industry.