Farming insects for food, UN report
UN touts insects as a healthy alternative to chicken, pork, beef and fish
By Amanda Brodhagen, Farms.com
According to a new report from the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), eating bugs is healthy for you. While human entomophagy, the act of eating insects isn’t anything new, farming insects for food might be.
The UN goes so far to suggest that edible insects may be part of the solution to feeding a growing world population. The 191-page report, “Edible insects: Future prospects for food and feed security,” highlights the benefits of eating insects, noting health, environment and livelihoods as important factors.
Highlights from the report:
•Insects are promoted as a healthy alternative to mainstream meat such as chicken, pork, beef and fish.
•Insects are said to be a better choice for the environment, noting that insects emit fewer greenhouse gases compared livestock.
•Farming insects is encouraged - “Minilivestock offer livelihood opportunities for both urban and rural people.”
•More research is needed to document the nutritional values of insects and to quantify the environmental impacts of raising insects as a viable form of farming.
What do you think of the UN’s newest report? Would you be open to eating insects as a source of protein?