REPORT: FAO argues that insects might be ideal way to meet global protein demands

The UN Food and Agricultural Organization has been pushing a new kind of diet for a hungry world, it ranks high in nutritional value and gets good grades for protecting the environment: edible insects.            

The Rome-based FAO hailed the likes of grasshoppers, ants and other members of the insect world as an underutilized food for people, livestock and pets.            

A new report says 2 billion people worldwide already supplement their diets with insects, which are considered high in protein and minerals.                

"Insects are very nutritious, they have a high content of protein and minerals and fats, so they are very important for the local populations in many developing countries, in Asia, Africa and Latin America," said Eva Ursula Muller, Director of Forestry Economics Policy and Product Division at FAO.              

While most edible insects are gathered in forests, the UN says mechanization can ratchet up insect-farming production.              

"They can become a sustainable source of food and I think their importance is going to grow," Muller said.                  

"In the West people don't eat insects yet, even though in some restaurants we can already see them. But once we have developed better technologies for farming insects, they have really a large potential for becoming a major food source," she added.                

Insects can also be rich in copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc, and are a source of fibre.                

The agency noted that its Edible Insect Program is also examining the potential of arachnids, such as spiders and scorpions, although they are not strictly speaking insects.               

University biologists have analyzed the nutritional value of edible insects, and some of them, such as certain beetles, ants, crickets and grasshoppers, come close to lean red meat or broiled fish in terms of protein per gram. 


AP


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