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<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>Why insects could be an ecological menu choice<\/h2>\n
Insects offer a promising alternative to a low-ecological-footprint diet: they are genetically very distinct from humans, so viruses are unlikely to make the jump; they produce only small amounts of greenhouse gas, compared to livestock (to yield just 1kg of protein, a single cow produces 2,850g of greenhouse gas, while insects produce just 1g); they can be fed on organic waste, such as vegetable peelings; and they require only tiny quantities of water. We simply need to accept that eating them is okay.<\/p>\n
Our current eating habits are suffocating the planet. Food production is responsible for almost 60 per cent of global biodiversity loss, and contributes to overfishing, climate change and water shortages. In the UK, we\u2019re eating more than two-and-a-half times more meat than the global average, a habit that is to blame for much of the environmental impact of our food system.<\/p>\n
The way we produce and consume meat often requires huge amounts of land to grow animal feed, such as soy and maize. Indeed, growing livestock feed is the biggest driver of deforestation on the planet. Fifty per cent (51 million km2<\/sup>) of the Earth\u2019s habitable land is currently given over to agriculture; of that, more than 70 per cent can be attributed to the meat and dairy industry. Meat production also guzzles oceans of water \u2013 to produce just 1kg of beef protein, you\u2019ll need an eye-popping 22,000 litres of H2<\/sup>O. For the same amount of cricket-based protein, you\u2019ll need just 1 litre.<\/p>\n Studies on human behaviour show that the way we view our food and the decisions we make about what to eat are controlled by different parts of the brain. It can be hard to change dietary habits, despite what we know about the negative environmental impacts of our choices, as these are already so ingrained. Our decisions are further reinforced by culture, social norms and the influences of the people around us.<\/p>\n Joanna Trewern, WWF-UK\u2019s sustainable diets and behaviour change specialist, is researching how food companies can help consumers to veer towards more sustainable diets. \u201cSociety has significant and often overlooked influences on food choice,\u201d she says. \u201cThese include mass advertising, such as television adverts, internet pop-ups and billboards, as well as menu design and the layout of canteens and supermarkets. For example, placing a product at the end of an aisle in a supermarket subconsciously encourages customers to buy it. In order to change behaviour at scale, it\u2019s vital to analyse, understand and adapt food environments so that they encourage healthier and more sustainable choices.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n But a revulsion towards eating bugs is a largely western phenomenon. Two billion people across South America, Asia and Africa currently eat insects regularly and generally always have done. Their choice to consume something with six legs rather than four has nothing to do with a lack of alternative food options or income \u2013 many are even considered delicacies.<\/p>\n Ants, for example, are highly sought after in many parts of the world, and about 80 grasshopper species are consumed across the globe. An estimated 9.5 billion mopane caterpillars are harvested annually in South Africa, while in the Chiapas region of Mexico, locals tuck into 27 types of caterpillar, alongside red and white maguey worms. The larvae of yellowjacket wasps are a staple in Japan and, as of 2012, there were some 20,000 cricket farmers in Thailand.<\/span><\/p>\n We may recoil at the idea of eating insects, but many of us are consuming them without knowing it. Honey, in its truest essence, is simply bee vomit. And if you\u2019ve ever eaten strawberry pencil sweets, pink marshmallows, strawberry yoghurt or red velvet cake, then you\u2019ve probably consumed the cochineal beetle. This species, dried and crushed, produces the red dye (listed as \u2018carmine\u2019 or \u2018E120\u2019 in lists of ingredients) that gives those food items their characteristic pink hue \u2013 and allows food manufacturers to state that they only use natural colourings.<\/p>\n But the fact that we\u2019re consuming the cochineal beetle only in a form used for processed foods means we\u2019re missing out on the nutritional benefits this species could provide. Insects, after all, are highly nutritious. They\u2019re loaded with fibre (largely the insoluble chitin in their exoskeletons), vitamins, and minerals such as calcium, iron and zinc. When dried, crickets contain up to 69g of protein per 100g, compared to beef, which delivers just 19.4g per 100g. And, perhaps surprisingly for their size, insects are also a complete protein, containing all nine essential amino acids.<\/p>\n As well as their nutritional value, rearing insects for human consumption is far friendlier to the environment than the current food-production systems that we have in place. Insects play a vital role in the world\u2019s natural ecosystems by processing and decomposing biological waste \u2013 including leaf litter, dead wood and even animal carcasses. Added to that, they can convert feed to protein more efficiently than livestock: thanks to their cold-blooded body structure, they don\u2019t use energy to maintain body temperature, and can therefore devote more to other processes.<\/p>\n There are currently about 1,900 known edible insect species on our planet, yet the lines as to what we in the UK and EU can and cannot legally consume have been blurred by the 2018 Novel Foods (England) Regulations. This new legislation applies to all categories <\/span>of foods that \u201cwere not used for human consumption to a significant degree\u201d within the EU before 15 May 1997.<\/p>\n Waters have been muddied further by Brexit, which means different regulations for insect farms in the UK and the EU.<\/p>\nSo, what would incorporating insects into our diet actually look like?<\/h2>\n