Will edible insects be served at your next meal?
The noise about presenting edible insects on the menu is getting louder these days. Called “entomophagy,” eating insect species by humans is already done by over 2 billion people daily worldwide. More than 2,000 insect species are considered edible, though far fewer are discussed for industrialized mass production and regionally authorized for use in food. Edible insects include crickets, honey bees, ants, mealworms, butterflies, beetles, and grasshoppers. They can be sold whole, or ground into meals and flours, as well as used for animal feed.
The production of animal protein is under huge pressure as the world population is increasing, projected to be around 9 to 10 billion by 2050.To feed everyone will take 56 – 70 per cent more food compared with 2017, but there isn’t enough agricultural land to fully support the diet of today’s populations. Also, by that same year, the UN projects that a scarcity of water, land and energy will lead to a global food shortage. The food industry as it is now, is responsible for a huge portion of CO2, methane, and nitrogen emissions globally, and contributes massively to deforestation.
Entomophagy is regarded as one of the best future options to provide large amounts of high quality protein, vitamins, and amino acids with little fat to people. Their nutritional compositions are like those of traditional animal foods, and in some cases higher.
More so, producing insects has a lower ecological footprint and is thus a more sustainable option as compared to other current sources of protein, such as cattle and poultry. Edible insects provide a credible way to increase food production without expanding agricultural land.
These potential food, ecological, and sustainable benefits are spurring interest in the commercial production of insects as food and animal feed. However, the industrial chain of edible insects, from fundamental research to marketing, is not there yet and still needs to be developed.
Food styling by BrooklynBugs.com; Photo by Sarah Phillips @FutureofFoodisNow
