UN: Insects are ‘food of the future’ (video)
In the wake of growing global food insecurity and supply problems, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations is suggesting that the world’s population may have to reconsider insects as staples in the future, a move that could also help in the battle against obesity.
Due to pressure on water resources, arable land and the threat of climate change, a shortage of food can be expected in the long-run, and eating insects as an environmentally friendly source of food could be the solution ‘if only Western consumers could overcome their disgust,” as the FAO puts it.
“Insects are abundant and they are a valuable source of protein and minerals,” said Eva Mueller, director of forest economics at the FAO, at a press conference in Rome on May 13.
“They are very nutritious, have a high content of protein, minerals and fats, and they already very important for the local populations in many developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and they actually already play a major role in the food security of 2 billion people in the world. That means one-third of the global population is already eating insects,” he added.
More than 1,900 insect species already find their way onto people’s plates around the world. The report found the insects most commonly consumed by humans were beetles (31 per cent), caterpillars (18 per cent), bees, wasps and ants (14 per cent), followed by grasshoppers, locusts and crickets (13 per cent).
It found that the bugs with most potential were larvae of the black soldier fly, the common housefly and the yellow meal worm.
The report notes the consumption of insects would also provide business and export opportunities for poor people in developing countries, especially women, who are often responsible for collecting insects in rural communities.
In the wake of growing global food insecurity and supply problems, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations is suggesting that the world's population may have to reconsider insects as staples in the future, a move that could also help in the battle against obesity. Due to pressure on water resources, arable land and the threat of climate change, a shortage of food can be expected in the long-run, and eating insects as an environmentally friendly source of food could be the solution 'if only Western consumers could overcome their disgust," as the FAO puts it. “Insects are abundant...
In the wake of growing global food insecurity and supply problems, the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations is suggesting that the world’s population may have to reconsider insects as staples in the future, a move that could also help in the battle against obesity.
Due to pressure on water resources, arable land and the threat of climate change, a shortage of food can be expected in the long-run, and eating insects as an environmentally friendly source of food could be the solution ‘if only Western consumers could overcome their disgust,” as the FAO puts it.
“Insects are abundant and they are a valuable source of protein and minerals,” said Eva Mueller, director of forest economics at the FAO, at a press conference in Rome on May 13.
“They are very nutritious, have a high content of protein, minerals and fats, and they already very important for the local populations in many developing countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America, and they actually already play a major role in the food security of 2 billion people in the world. That means one-third of the global population is already eating insects,” he added.
More than 1,900 insect species already find their way onto people’s plates around the world. The report found the insects most commonly consumed by humans were beetles (31 per cent), caterpillars (18 per cent), bees, wasps and ants (14 per cent), followed by grasshoppers, locusts and crickets (13 per cent).
It found that the bugs with most potential were larvae of the black soldier fly, the common housefly and the yellow meal worm.
The report notes the consumption of insects would also provide business and export opportunities for poor people in developing countries, especially women, who are often responsible for collecting insects in rural communities.
