Would you?

Ignoring the benefits of eating insects really bugs me

Now you may have read snippets about the future shortage of protein coming down the tracks for your great grandchildren when they grow up and how at this rate we just will not be able to produce enough food especially protein, to satisfy the insatiable human appetite for meat.

Well the answer has been figured out and all those creepy crawlies you swipe at in the home are where the protein of the future is coming from, well according to those in this new type of food industry. Insect farms are now booming around the world with the resulting mush being turned into everything from chocolate snacks to bread and cereals. They are extremely eco friendly with no gas omissions to deal with and are much less labour demanding than current farming practices.

There are far fewer costs at almost a quarter that of rearing cattle and poultry for example, never mind the small space required and no drugs, weather dependence or vet fees. If this is not the ideal farming formula then what is?
Nearly half the world, taking in most of the Far East, Africa, Central and South America eat insects anyway, just collecting them from the wild or while just running across their countertop, they have been doing it for millennia actually. 
Around two thousand varieties are already edible, indeed I munched on a few myself traipsing around Asia many moons ago, and not to my liking I may add and they were followed by rat as a main course just to fully shock you.

The insects are pretty much flavourless by the way so it the psychological barriers you have to cross and when turned into some scrummy food you should not be able to tell any difference. They mix well with strong flavours like chocolate so this is why they are so versatile across all food types. In Brazil there is now a commercial bread made from cockroaches giving it a unique nutty flavour that is gaining popularity. While travelling in both Brazil and Australia I did learn about their huge respect for insect foods amongst the Amazon and Aboriginal tribes respectively.


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They are much cheaper to produce than cereal or flour, pasta is already being made from crickets, silkworms turned into snacks, grasshoppers are deep fried, this whole insect market is set to keep growing by half, they will invade year on year from now on until they literally land on a supermarket shelf near you. 

They are a superfood full of goodness say the scientists so they definitely are coming to get you soon and an obvious solution to feeding the world. Closer to home the Brits have opened their
first edible insect farm in London producing 50kg every eight weeks. The Germans and Spanish are already at it with their supermarkets starting to stock them in some form or other. 

Traditional European farmers are switching over already seeing the costs plummet and profits rising. So there you were cringing at the celebrities in the Jungle having to grapple with swallowing an ant or two, no pun intended, but now you too can live just like your favourite celeb and enjoy the other fruits of the forest! Bon appétit…