Eating insects can carry a much lower environmental footprint than conventional meat. Should western cultures be incorporating more of them into their diets?
Cows eating hay and soy-based feed.
United Soybean Board/Flickr
Feeding insects instead of grain to animals is an inexpensive, sustainable way to increase the world food supply. An animal scientist explains what’s involved in developing insect feed for cattle.
Insects have long been identified as a protein-rich and nutritious food, and are eaten across various cultures outside the West – including across Africa, Asia, and Latin America.
Unfortunately, it’s likely you brought them home yourself. Most pantry moth infestations probably start when we inadvertently bring home eggs and caterpillars in our dried foods.
Staple diets in Nigeria can be improved by the addition of insect powders, rather than serving recognisable forms of insects.
An entovegan might happily eat an insect burger like this one, believing that their diet is both sustainable and ethical.
Karen Bleier/AFP via Getty Images
Insect farming is growing in popularity as an alternative to traditional livestock and feed production. A scholar evaluates what that means in terms of trillions of insect lives.
June bugs can be serious pests of ornamental and agricultural plants, lawns and golf courses, or they can be a crunchy snack for a bird — or human.
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Two billion people already eat ‘prawns of the land’, so why don’t many Australians? A new CSIRO industry roadmap on edible insects explains why we should bring bugs into mainstream diets.
An Indonesian traditional seaweed farm in Nusa Penuda, Bali.
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Awareness is increasing about foods like lab-grown meat, insects and seaweed. These foods may help address environmental challenges, but it’s important to be aware of both the costs and benefits.
The development of an industry in edible insects such as these mopane caterpillars has been slow.
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There needs to be more awareness of the benefits of insects as food, and support for farming and markets.
It is vital to find alternative and sustainable sources of protein to meet the considerable challenge of ensuring food security for the future.
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Because insects are an affordable and local food source rich in protein, they can be used as a meat replacement.
Production facility manager Derek Delahaye eats roasted crickets at the Entomo Farms cricket processing facility in Norwood, Ont., in 2016. Bugs are a diet staple in most parts of the world. Will Canadians join the masses in their search for alternate sources of protein to meat?
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Thornhill
Canadians are increasingly looking to alternatives to meat to get their protein. Pulses like lentils and chickpeas are becoming more popular. Will insects find a way onto our plates too?
Looks …. tasty? Roasted crickets are shown at the Entomo Farms cricket processing facility in Norwood, Ont., in April 2016. Loblaw has added cricket powder to its lineup of President’s Choice products.
THE CANADIAN PRESS/Fred Thornhill
Saliou Niassy, University of Pretoria and Sunday Ekesi, International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology
Insects have often been described with words like “disgusting” and the idea of eating them horrifies some people. But this needs to change as they can be an important food source.
Anyone for honeycomb moth larvae?
EPA/Remko de Waal