Edible Insects: A Sustainable Alternative
Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast
Episode 50
Edible Insects
The United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization say that agricultural production on a global scale will have to increase by 70% in order to feed a global population that is expected to reach 9.1 billion people by the year 2050. Yet agricultural production is one of the largest drivers for environmental destruction.
Decreasing meat production and intake would reduce or eliminate the expansion of livestock operations in order to feed a growing population but we would need an alternative protein source.
There is an overlooked and underrated sustainable alternative to meat. If you want to know the whole story then download the transcript or listen to this episode on Edible Insects.
Welcome back everyone to the Adventures in Sustainable Living Podcast. This is your host Patrick and this is E50 which is called Edible Insects.
I think the majority of people that I know would flat refuse to eat a bug. I also think it is safe to say that I’ve eaten more bugs that the average person. And that doesn’t include the approximate 8 spiders per year that every single one of us swallows in our sleep.
Yet as we speak I have dry roasted grasshoppers and crickets in my cabinet. I crumbled up some crickets this morning and adding them to my oatmeal as an additional source of protein. And being an avid outdoors person, I have also had some fairly extensive survival training. There have been many times I’ve tested my skills on a weekend trip. And when food was scarce I would not hesitate to dig up some earthworms and roast them over the fire. Although the after taste leaves something to be desired, it was better than going hungry.
During the production of this episode, I came across more than one source that was recommending the use of insects as a sustainable protein source. And this is because it is well known that our global agricultural activity is one of the leading causes of environmental degradation, habitat loss and species extinction.
The argument is that if we had sustainable source of protein that had significantly less affect on the environment then the need for livestock production would decrease and the available land could be restored to its native state. By doing so we could increase biodiversity that is so vital to our survival and we would prevent species extinction.
Now I do think the biggest thing here is of course to make this sort of thing acceptable in various cultures. After all, how do you convince someone to reach for a pile of spicy sautéed grubs as opposed to a chunk of steak.
But let’s just keep an open mind and look at a few things first. Now I am not going to belabor these points on meat production too much because I have covered this in previous episodes. But, I do think it is worth revisiting that just briefly.
The greenhouse gas emission from livestock production is enormous, accounting for 18% of all greenhouse gases by humans. That is more than all the ships, planes, cars, and trucks put together.
Livestock production requires enormous amounts of land, water, and grain. To produce one kilogram of beef, so about 2.2 pounds, requires 25 kilograms of grain and 15,000 liters of water. If all the grain we use to feed livestock were fed to people instead, we could feed an additional 3.5 billion people.
Did you realize that in the United States, that 80% of the all the antibiotics produces are consumed by the livestock industry. This alone contributes to the development of antibiotic resistance which is an obvious emerging problems.
Now, one other thing I will mention, which I am not going to argue. There is certainly a portion of our society that feels eating animals is morally wrong.
But overall, despite on the conflict over the meat industry, it is very plain to see that even reducing your meat consumption and adding more plant based proteins in your diet is healthier for the environment and yourself as well.
So, all that being said, let’s move on to the subject of bugs.
First of all most people have no idea what they are eating in the first place. So, brace yourself for these tasty morsels of fact. Like it or not, many of our favorite foods contain bit and pieces of creatures that you have no idea are there.
I hate to tell all of you chocolate lovers but that dark , delicious bar of chocolate might contain up to 30 or more insect parts and a sprinkle of rodent hair.
Black pepper is allowed to have 40 insect fragments per teaspoon.
Peanut butter is allowed to have one or more rodent hairs and up to 30 insect parts were 100 grams which is about 3 1/2 ounces. Jam and jelly is allowed up to 5 whole insects per 3 1/2 ounces.
Tomatoes juice is allowed to contain up to four maggots and 20 or more fruit fly eggs.
A 4 ounce can of mushrooms is allowed to have up to 20 maggots. A 1/4 cup of corn meal is allowed up to 50 insects fragments. And okay, one last thing, spices. A typical spice jar hold about 2 to 3 ounces. Some spices are allowed to have up to 300 or more insect parts per 10 grams.
But that is not all. How about rodent poop in your coffee? What about maggots in your pizza sauce.
But, I do have one bit of good news. For all the talk about how many spiders we swallow in our sleep every year, it is not really true.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration says the following:
“It is economically impractical to grow, harvest, or process raw products that are totally free of non-hazardous, naturally occurring, unavoidable defects,”
Like it or not, you are already eating bugs, you just don’t realize it.
If you simply looks at the facts for a moment. The global population is expected to reach 9.1 billion by the year 2050. The United Nations states that agricultural production will have to increase by 70% in order to support that population growth. And we already know that agricultural production is at the top of the list for environmental damage. So, like it or not, there has to be an alternative source of protein.
Insect farming presently has an annual growth of 27.8% and provides competitive options as a sustainable animal feed, and protein for human consumption. Additionally, the insect protein industry is projected to reach nearly $8 billion by the year 2030. And with our global degradation of arable land, water pollution, loss of marine life, forests, and biodiversity, insect farming may very well become an integral part of the global economy and an ideal alternative source for animal protein.
No matter how unpalatable those creepy crawlies such as grasshoppers, crickets, and meal worms might seem to you, the simple fact is that they contain significantly high sources of minerals and protein compared to beef. Insects are approximately 60% dry weight protein compared to beef with is about 27%.
But, if the thought of eating a bug literally makes your skin crawl, insects have been a common part of the human diet for thousands of years. Many cultures to this day embrace eating insects. In fact, edible insects have long been used by various ethnic groups in Asia, Africa, Mexico, and South American. It is considered a cheap and sustainable source of protein. Up to 2,086 species of insects are eaten in 130 countries.
As mentioned above, insects have been consumed by humans for thousands of years. The Greeks and Romans were well known for consuming locusts and beetle larvae.
Africa by far consumes the most insects. The continent is home to the richest diversity of edible insects including more than 500 species such as caterpillars, termites, locusts, grasshoppers, crickets, ants, bees and beetles. People living in Africa have never considered edible insects as a pest or nuisance.
Despite the obvious benefits, insect cultivation is a largely untapped market. However, cricket farming has literally taken off in countries such as Thailand, India, South Africa, and Kenya.
But Why?
At this point, you are likely thinking about putting something on the grill and asking yourself why should I ever consider eating an insect.
Well, insects are cheap, nutritious, high in protein and low in fat. They contain a very high quality protein, amino acids, vitamins, calcium, zinc and iron. There are also 2,100 edible insect species, which of course offers a vast array of options for food dishes. Additionally, insects offer a significant opportunity to merge traditional knowledge and modern science to improve human food security on a global scale.
8 Reasons to Eat Insects
So, let’s look at 8 reason why you should consider eating insects.
- They are delicious. Well, crickets have kind of a nutty flavor, which I can attest too. I had some this morning in my oatmeal.
- You are already doing it. As I discussed above, most of us are eating a lot more insects that we know about.
- Insects are packed with protein. With one small serving, you can get between 25 and 60% of your daily allowance.
- As mentioned before, they are actually very healthy.
- Roasted meal worms are a healthy alternative to chips
- Eating insects promotes good gut bacteria. Yes, there was a study that proved this.
- You don’t have to eat them whole. Believe it or not, many people think their meat comes from the supermarket. This is because people often do not associate a steak with a cow or sausage with a pig. This is because they come in different forms. The same is true with insects. So, buy a little cricket flour and give it a try.
- Insects require less water and the are sustainable. We already know that agriculture consumes about 70% of the freshwater globally. So, consider this. Crickets require 1 L of water for 1 kg. Chickens require 2,300 L for 1 lg. Pork 3,500 liters and beef 22,000 liters per kilogram.
So, all of this being said, my curiosity got the best of me so I had to go looking for recipes. Here is what I easily found;
Chili Lime Grasshoppers
Cricket Flour Brownies
Mealworm Fried Rice
Buffalo Worm Cheese Biscuits
Mealworm Burgers
Tequila worm salsa.
Wax worm tacos
And there are many more recipes you can find online.
So the bottom line is that consuming insects makes sense from a sustainable perspective. In some parts of rural Africa, insects make up as much as 60% of their dietary protein source. Crickets, grasshoppers, and many forms of worms are common snack foods in Thailand.
But, what about the United States?
Presently, the edible insect market in the U.S. is only about $20 annually. So, there is a lot of room for growth. Eating insects in the United States is not exactly widely popular. I truly think it is a matter of convincing people of the health and environmental benefits for eating insects.
But, according to a recent study from the University of Copenhagen, cricket production is 20 times more efficient as a protein source compared to cattle. Furthermore, cricket production produces 80 times less methane. Not to mention that insects can thrive on organic waste which cuts back on growing the grain that is commonly used in animal feed which requires significant amounts of energy and water.
Insect farming also makes economic sense. Insects are cold-blooded and as such they require less energy. They are also more efficient at converting feed into protein. Crickets need four times less feed than sheep, 12 times less than cattle, and half as much as broiler chickens and pigs to produce the same amount of protein.
So, just for a quick recap.
While eating insects may make your skin crawl, it does make good sense from a sustainable and economic prospective. By the year 2050, the world population is expected to be 9.1 billion people. Agricultural production would have to increase by 70% in order to feed that kind of human population. However, it is our agricultural production that is consistently producing the greatest environmental damage. Sooner or later, we are going to have to switch to a more sustainable protein source. Insects may be the answer to that.
After all there is enormous biodiversity in the insect world not to mention the literally colossal biomass that generally goes to waste. So, I think it is time to start developing a culture where people are just as comfortable eating insects as they are with other foods. It is truly a matter of changing our perspective. You may not realize this but 500 years ago Italians thought tomatoes were poisonous. In the 1800s American thought lobsters were trash food and fed them to prisoners. Fifty years ago few cultures ate raw fish, Now sushi is found everywhere. Besides, when it comes to insects, whether you want to think about it or not, you are already eating far more insects that you know.
As for me, I have my adobe flavored grasshoppers and my whole roasted crickets that I add to food on a regular basis. And of course while researching information on this topic, my curiosity got the best of me so I had to expand my horizons.
As you have likely heard me say before, I am not going to discuss, promote, or teach something that I am not willing to try myself. So, I order a mixed bag of dry roasted insects and 3,000 live mealworms. I am still just waiting for their arrival. I truly want to try a few different types of insects as well as raise some of my own mealworms and try a few different recipes. So, it is going to take a few weeks for me to get back with you on that subject. Besides, if I am going to eat worms, I can at least make sure they are raised organically.
In the mean time, if you get a hankering for Chili Lime Grasshoppers, I do have a link to the recipe in the transcript. But in a few weeks I will likely share my new round recipe for Mealworm Muffins. It sort of adds new meaning to the old military term “bug out”.
This is your host Patrick signing off until next week week. Always remember to live sustainably because this is how we build a better future.
Resources
Securing Our Future Food Economy and Sustainability with Insect Farming
Eating insects has long made sense in Africa: The world must catch up
1900 Edible Insects Are Consumed Around the World
