THE LATEST BUZZ: EATING INSECTS CAN HELP TACKLE FOOD INSECURITY, SAYS FAO

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From: UNNews <UNNews@un.org>
Date: 13 May 2013 14:00:00 -0400
Subject: THE LATEST BUZZ: EATING INSECTS CAN HELP TACKLE FOOD
INSECURITY, SAYS FAO
To: news11@ny-mail-p-lb-028.ptc.un.org

THE LATEST BUZZ: EATING INSECTS CAN HELP TACKLE FOOD INSECURITY, SAYS
FAONew York, May 13 2013 2:00PMWhile insects can be slimy,
cringe-inducing creatures, often squashed on sight by humans, a new
book released today by the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO)
says beetles, wasps and caterpillars are also an unexplored nutrition
source that can help address global food insecurity.

The book, <i>Edible Insects: future prospects for food and feed
security</i>, stresses not just the nutritional value of insects, but
also the benefits that insect farming could potentially have on the
environment and on addressing the rapidly increasing demand for food
worldwide.

While the idea of eating a worm, grasshopper or cicada at every meal
may seem strange, FAO
<"http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/175922/icode/">says this has
many health benefits. Insects are high in protein, fat and mineral
contents. They can be eaten whole or ground into a powder or paste,
and incorporated into other foods.

"Insects are not harmful to eat, quite the contrary. They are
nutritious, they have a lot of protein and are considered a delicacy
in many countries," said Eva Muller, the Director of FAO's Forest
Economics, Policy and Products Division.

Although they are not staples of Western cuisine, insects currently
supplement the diets of some 2 billion people and have always been
part of human diets in Asia, Africa and Latin America. Of the 1
million known insect species, 1900 are consumed by humans. Some of the
most consumed insects include beetles, caterpillars, bees, wasps,
ants, grasshoppers, locusts and crickets.

"If we think about edible insects, there's a huge potential that has
essentially not been tapped yet," Ms. Muller said. "Most [insects] are
just collected and there's very little experience in insect farming,
for example, which is something that could be explored in view of a
growing population."

According to the book, which was launched today at the
<"http://www.fao.org/forestry/food-security/en/">Forests for Food
Security and Nutrition conference, taking place through Wednesday at
FAO headquarters in Rome, farming insects for human and animal
consumption is particularly relevant at a time when population growth,
urbanization, and the rising middle class have increased the demand
for food while simultaneously harming the environment that enables its
production.

By 2030, over 9 million people will need to be fed, along with the
billions of animals raised annually for food and as pets. Meanwhile,
land and water pollution from intensive livestock production and
over-grazing are leading to forest degradation, thereby contributing
to climate change.

"Domesticating and rearing insects can help sustain insect populations
while also helping counter nutritional insecurity and improve
livelihoods," said Afton Halloran, a consultant for the FAO Edible
Insects Programme. "Farming insects has a huge global potential for
both animal feed and food production. We are already seeing producers
creating animal feed from insects and research. And development is
occurring around the world in order incorporate insects into menus and
processed foods."

The production of greenhouse gases by insect farming would likely be
lower than that of livestock. For example, pigs produce 10-100 times
more greenhouse gases per kilogram than mealworms.

Insects also feed on bio-waste, use significantly less water than
livestock, and can be farmed more easily, the book states. Insect
farming could also offer important livelihoods to people in rural
areas as minimal technical or capital expenditure is required for
basic harvesting and rearing equipment.

Their high nutritional value and relative ease of en-masse production
will not be enough to make insects part of people's dishes all over
the world, and FAO knows this.

"Consumer disgust remains one of the largest barriers to the adoption
of insects as viable sources of protein in many Western countries,"
Ms. Muller said in an interview. "Nevertheless, history has shown that
dietary patterns can change quickly, particularly in the globalized
world."

She added that Western countries, most notably in Europe, have also
been recently expressing interest in incorporating insects into their
cuisine.

"We have already seen cookbooks show up that offer recipes on edible
insects, and there are a few restaurants in capital European cities
that actually offer edible insects on their menus," she said. "I don't
expect it to be something that happens very quickly, but if we
remember that 20 years ago nobody in Europe would think of eating raw
fish, and everybody now loves sushi, things can change, so even the
cultures that are not used to eating insects may eventually develop a
taste for them."

A common misconception of insects as food is that they are only
consumed in times of hunger. However, in most instances where they are
a staple in local diets, they are consumed because of their taste, and
not because there are no other food sources available.

Insect trading is thriving in cities such as Bangkok and Kinshasa, and
there is high demand from urban consumers. In such places, insects
often arouse feelings of nostalgia for the rural countryside. In other
cases, insects are seen as a snack.

The book stresses that there is still a long way to go before insects
can be universally incorporated into both human and animal diets.
Mass-production technologies need to be perfected, potential allergies
to certain species need to be explored, and legislation must be
enacted on insect farming.

The food industry, including industry professionals and chefs, must
also help raise awareness about insects' potential as food to increase
the level of acceptance among consumers.

"Although it is unrealistic to see families in the West eating insects
for their Sunday lunch within the next decade, the potential of
insects is huge and we hope that slowly but surely this potential will
be realized," Ms. Halloran said.May 13 2013 2:00PM
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