Eat insects! Let's be insectivores

[Christophe]

5 ecological, economical and nutritious reasons to be insectivorous

Insects on our plates? The idea may frighten some. Locusts and other grasshoppers will undoubtedly be part of our meals in the years to come. Contrary to popular belief, in addition to being tasty, these pretty little animals are not lacking in environmental and economic advantages, but also in terms of human health. Expert at FAO, Paul Vantomme deciphers for Courant Positif 5 good reasons to eat insects.

Insects supplement the diets of approximately 2 billion people worldwide, primarily in Asia, Africa and Latin America. They have been part of the human diet since Homo Sapiens. By 2030, more than 9 billion Eating insect people will need to be fed, as will the billions of animals raised by humans for food. One of the many ways to meet the challenge of human and animal food security is to consider insect breeding. The use of insects in food and feed has many advantages.

1) eating insects is good for you

While the nutritional value of insects depends on their life stage, habitat and diet, it is widely believed that insects provide high quality protein and nutrients. They are rich in fiber and trace elements such as copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, or even selenium and zinc. It is saying little! Also rich in fatty acids, most insect species are valuable food supplements, especially for malnourished children. Insects also have a low risk of transmitting zoonotic diseases (diseases transmitted from animals to humans) such as avian influenza or mad cow disease.

2) insect breeding is just as good the planet

The feed conversion rate represents the amount of feed required to produce a 1 kg increase in weight. In insects, this rate is extremely efficient. On average, 2 kg of feed is needed to produce 1 kg of insects, while cattle require 8 kg of feed to produce 1 kg of meat. Moreover, this famous rate varies according to the species and the production techniques used. However, the production of greenhouse gases by most insects is likely to be lower than that of conventional livestock farming (except termites). For example, pigs produce between 10 to 100 times more greenhouse gases per kilogram compared to raising locusts. Finally, insects require much less water than conventional livestock farming (pigs, cattle, etc.).

3) Insects promote economic development

Inexpensive and easy to perform, collecting in the wild like raising insects can offer important livelihood diversification strategies for poor people in developing countries. They also represent additional income opportunities for farmers of all sizes from emerging and developed countries. In addition, insects can be processed for food and feed in a relatively simple way. Some species can even be eaten whole. And since opportunities abound, insects can still be made into pasta or ground into flour, and their proteins can be extracted.

4) Their production is socially fairer

Unlike cattle, raising insects does not require the use or ownership of land or significant start-up investments. And since this breeding can also be done in urban areas and at very low cost of production, a large number of modest people can learn and participate in the production of insects. This, both for their own subsistence but also to supply the agro-food sectors, including to provide a food base for fish and chicken farms.

5) Insect breeding does not swallow seeds useful for human nutrition

Last but not least, one of the great advantages of breeding insects is that they can feed on organic waste, compost and slurry. In other words, their breeding does not require the use of seeds such as soybeans, corn or wheat, which are widely used in the breeding of chickens, pigs or cattle. Consequently, opting for the breeding and consumption of insects, also makes it possible to direct these seeds towards human food rather than seeing them used for the breeding of animals.

Paul Vantomme - Expert in the FAO Forestry Department

[Janic]

Insects supplement the diets of approximately 2 billion people worldwide,

it is completely absurd to want to make a replacement of the current animal food (it is enough to try to imagine the necessary structures that that would represent) in addition many insects have a specific food of which arboreal and think of what would give a breeding of parasitic insects which would be released in nature !.
Again it is only to move back to jump better!

[highfly-addict]

5 ecological, economical and nutritious reasons to be insectivorous http://www.courantpositif.fr/5-bonnes-r ... -insectes/

One is missing and not the least, the taste!
A quick quick fry (2 min in very hot oil) of ephippigères with a little finely minced garlic: just a delight for the aperitif!

[elephant]

There is of course, the "cultural brake" ...,

but, did you think that shrimps, langoustines, lobsters, lobsters, etc ..., are nothing other than arthropods, like insects.

You imagine a scorpion the size of a lobster ...

[highfly-addict]

...

You imagine a scorpion the size of a lobster ...

Hmm !!!!! I salivate just thinking about it!

[hic]

5 ecological, economical and nutritious reasons to be insectivorous http://www.courantpositif.fr/5-bonnes-r ... -insectes/

One is missing and not the least, the taste!
A quick quick fry (2 min in very hot oil) of ephippigères with a little finely minced garlic: just a delight for the aperitif!

aperitif?

100g of insects corresponds to a third of your daily protein ration according to the WHO

if it is only for B12
you replace your monthly mammal steak
by an insect steak
and then that's all!
do you feel like a vacuum? eh!

me when i finished my 350kcal of beans,
I'm at 50% of my daily protein ration

Vegetarians and Prescarians make me laugh : Mrgreen:

[Christophe]

Another article on the consumption of insects for human consumption: http://www.huffingtonpost.fr/2013/05/13 ... 65208.html

[Grandaddy]

On the cultural level, it will surely be necessary to wait a few years before this really develops. Having said that I have heard a lot of positive feedback regarding insect meals! We will see how it develops, but it can be a good alternative if well supervised.

[Janic]

It's completely on the fringes! It's like comparing the peanuts from the aperitif to the meal itself.

[Grandaddy]

It's completely on the fringes! It's like comparing the peanuts from the aperitif to the meal itself.

If I am not mistaken, nobody is talking about eating ONLY insects with each meal either ... otherwise in the long term it would surely be insufficient in terms of food. It may just be a new source of food, a kind of supplement, which must have some advantages;)