Science
Experts Claim Eating Bugs Might Be Key To Feeding The World
These dairy-free and gluten-free chocolate brownies, which are artistically arranged on a wooden platter and adorned with blossoms, have a surprising component.
Ground-up cricket flour was used to bake them.
Last month, the brownies were among several products on display during a conference on farmed insect protein held at the University of Nottingham’s Sutton Bonnington campus.
The gathering, which was organised in collaboration with the UK Edible Insect Association (UKEIA), included a discussion of the “potential” of insect protein as a sustainable alternative food source with regulators and industry.
“Insects are incredibly nutritious,” UKEIA managing director Nick Rousseau stated.
“They have high protein levels and people all around the world eat them on a regular basis as part of their traditional diet.”
“Insect farming is not harvesting from the wild, it’s farming them in a way that is good for the insects and creates a really sustainable product.”
The Food Standards Agency states that the only edible insects that are permitted for sale in the United Kingdom are the black army fly, house cricket, banded cricket, and yellow mealworm.
Since they are classified as “novel foods,” they must pass pre-market evaluations before being allowed to be sold.
The symposium, which took place on April 24 and 25, included a range of insect-based delicacies, such as protein bars made with cricket flour, roasted mealworms, and flavor-infused crickets.
Marshall Waller, a farmer in the Peak District, is worried that conventional farming won’t be able to feed the world’s expanding population, so he tried insect protein for the first time.
“I think the thought of it is worse than the actual taste,” he stated.
“If you didn’t know it was insects, you wouldn’t know they were there.”
“We’re concerned about environmental impacts of traditional farming, so we’re just looking at more sustainable ways of producing our food.”
Insects may be the solution to the food crisis, according to Tim Parr, a professor of nutritional biochemistry at the University of Nottingham.
“We’re looking at different types of organisms or plants that could be used as a food source that may make up the shortfall for what we know is likely to be a crisis associated with food availability, particularly with protein,” he said.
“We’re looking at how they grow, what yields we can get from them and how big they can grow or what conditions they can grow under.”
However, Nahla Mahmoud, the creator of Edinburgh’s The Insect Cafe, feels that eating insects is stigmatised.
“At the moment and in our main UK culture, insects are associated with either places we don’t want to be in, unhygienic settings or survival,” she stated.
“A lot of people watch I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here and that’s the image that comes, a live insect that you’re forced to eat.”
Ms Mahmoud, who said she started eating insect-based food six years ago, believes edible bugs “can be used in so many different forms and ways in our everyday food”.
“They’re such a versatile and beautiful product,” she stated.
“A spoonful of ground-up insects is eight grams of protein. Imagine adding that to your porridge in the morning or into your smoothie or into a soup.”
“It adds more nutritional value.”
Advocates claim that using insects to make pet chow is a more environmentally friendly option than using traditional animal products.
Additionally, businesses have recently considered using artificial intelligence to help reduce the expenses associated with insect farming.
“We’re now in a situation in the modern world where we need more sustainable options and, what we’re seeing, is the development of insect farming,” Mr. Rousseau said, expressing excitement about the industry’s future.
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