14 May 2013
While many people might balk at the idea of eating insects, for billions of people in developing countries they are a readily available source of protein and minerals.
Now the United Nations Food and Agricultural Organisation wants to increase insect-farming to help boost nutrition and reduce pollution as the world's population steadily grows.
UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger
Eating more insects could help fight world hunger, according to a new UN report.
The report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that eating insects could help boost nutrition and reduce pollution.
It notes than over 2 billion people worldwide already supplement their diet with insects. However it admits that "consumer disgust" remains a large barrier in many Western countries.
Wasps, beetles and other insects are currently "underutilised" as food for people and livestock, the report says. Insect farming is "one of the many ways to address food and feed security".
"Insects are everywhere and they reproduce quickly, and they have high growth and feed conversion rates and a low environmental footprint," according to the report.
Nutritional value
The authors point out that insects are nutritious, with high protein, fat and mineral content.
They are "particularly important as a food supplement for undernourished children".
Insects are also "extremely efficient" in converting feed into edible meat. Crickets, for example, need 12 times less feed than cattle to produce the same amount of protein, according to the report.
Most insects are are likely to produce fewer environmentally harmful greenhouse gases than other livestock. The ammonia emissions associated with insect-rearing are far lower than those linked to conventional livestock such as pigs, says the report.
Delicacies
Insects are regularly eaten by many of the world's population, but the thought may seem shocking to many Westerners.
The report suggests that the food industry could help in "raising the status of insects" by including them in new recipes and adding them to restaurant menus.
It goes on to note that in some places, certain insects are considered delicacies.
For example some caterpillars in southern Africa are seen as luxuries and command high prices.
Most edible insects are gathered in forests and serve niche markets, the report states.
It calls for improved regulation and production for using insects as feed.
"The use of insects on a large scale as a feed ingredient is technically feasible, and established.
VOCABULARY
balk: resistirse, rechazar
readily available: fácilmente disponible
boost : impulsar (increase, raise, cause to rise)
steadily: regularly, gradually, constantly (continuamente, constantemente)
currently: en este momento, actualmente ( at present)
livestock: ganado ( farm animals)
feed: comida (colloquial)
environmental footprint: huella medioambiental
undernourished: malnutrido, desnutrido
edible: comestible
cattle: ganado, reses
insect rearing: cría de insectos
note : mencionar
command: venderse por
feasible: viable, factible ( possible)
CLICK HERE TO READ SOME COMMENTS
U.N. agency urges eating insects to fight world hunger, malnutrition
Insects are regularly eaten by many of the world's population, but the thought may seem shocking to many Westerners.
The report suggests that the food industry could help in "raising the status of insects" by including them in new recipes and adding them to restaurant menus.
It goes on to note that in some places, certain insects are considered delicacies.
For example some caterpillars in southern Africa are seen as luxuries and command high prices.
Most edible insects are gathered in forests and serve niche markets, the report states.
It calls for improved regulation and production for using insects as feed.
"The use of insects on a large scale as a feed ingredient is technically feasible, and established.
VOCABULARY
balk: resistirse, rechazar
readily available: fácilmente disponible
boost : impulsar (increase, raise, cause to rise)
steadily: regularly, gradually, constantly (continuamente, constantemente)
currently: en este momento, actualmente ( at present)
livestock: ganado ( farm animals)
feed: comida (colloquial)
environmental footprint: huella medioambiental
undernourished: malnutrido, desnutrido
edible: comestible
cattle: ganado, reses
insect rearing: cría de insectos
note : mencionar
command: venderse por
feasible: viable, factible ( possible)
CLICK HERE TO READ SOME COMMENTS
U.N. agency urges eating insects to fight world hunger, malnutrition
First sight it looks like a disgusting mess. However, if we think that, we are being hypocrital. When we listen somebody saying he eat insects quickly we reject it, but ourselves eat snails! They may think the same to us about eating snails. We immediately tag it without taste.
ReplyDeleteNevertheless, insects are a delicacies and luxury in abroad. Nowadays, eating insects are in style and insects are nutritive. Among others, an adventatge to eat insects is that they breed quickly.
In addition we should try new and exotic food.
In my point of view eating insects can seam disgusting in our culture but, as the text saids, a lot of people have included insects on his diet. This can be a solution in poor countries where people can't pay meat or fish. Furthermore, insects have a very high nutritional value with high protein, fat and mineral content. It can be a solution.
ReplyDeleteIn my view eat insects is not an embarrasing culture, for example most people in China eat insects and uncommon animals daily, it could be seen such as a development feed. Some western people eat chinese, japanese (or exotic food) without knowing what is made of. Some of this exotic food have insects inside and have some good points such as cheapness and high source of protein and minerals.
ReplyDeleteIf all this information the UN reports is true, I think we should try to get used to eating insects. The way I see it, there's just a single barrier, which is the fact that almost all people (in our culture) find it disgusting. That's why it would be quite hard to change our mind. However, it's sure that we'd be better off this way, as well as our planet. I guess not all the changes for the better in our lives have been taken up easily.
ReplyDeleteThe first thing that comes to our minds when we read this kind of articles is that it must be disgusting to eat insects, we balk at this idea. However, after reading this specific article, we should notice that it's not so bad. In fact, insects are nutritious, and they can even be used as a food supplement for undernourished children. What's more, other livestock produce more harmful gases.
ReplyDeleteTo conclude, I would say that we shouldn't underestimate other cultures if we don't know much about them.
People eating insects is not strange in many oriental countries. Anyway, in Europe, we see it as something completely disgusting. We have to take into account that the culture is not the same. Before criticising them, we should think about our own food tastes. Then, we will see that they are quite strange too (or even more...) Let's put an example. Caviar is one of the most valued food in the occidental countries. A kilogram of caviar can cost 28.000€!!! How can people eat fish eggs? And the most important question, how can fish eggs cost 28.000€? That's completely unbelievable... There are more examples, but I would be writting all day long and I have to study other subjects. Let people eat whatever they want, whether you like it or not!
ReplyDeleteEating instectos in many countries is part of their culture but even so, in Europe we see this practise as a strange and disgusting thing. As the article says, eating insects it's not bad because they are a great source of proteins and nutrients so this could be the solution for all the poor people that can't log in to a lot of food and in this way combat the world hunger because insects are so redy avaliable
ReplyDeleteIt is true that in some countries eat insects is common, and here are luxury restaurants than only serve insects. But that an international body has proposed this is a little misbegotten. Insects are readily available thing to found. Insects are very rich in proteins. One of the objectives of new millennium was eradicate world hunger. For the nonce hasn’t attained. Other proposes were using transgenic aliments. It has not achieved. It is true that while a part of the world is dying of hunger the other is throwing tons of food to dumpsters.
ReplyDeleteThere are many people around the world who eat insects, which is their daily food. Probably eating insects is the solution to eradicate hunger in the world, but it must be said that most developped countries don't care much on this issue, much less pollution. The economy matters far more than the world's hungry, or pollution. First of all would have to change the values of the Western world, and since then propose solutions that can comply all.
ReplyDeleteEating insects is a good way to avoid the world hunger, in many countries people is getting hunger and this is increasing, and insects also provides you with proteins. This might sounds disgusting, but if you're really hungry you will eat whatever you find, and in others cultures it's frequent to see people eating insects. So, if this is a way to avoid the hunger, why not to do it?
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion this is a way so that rich countries don't have to help poor countries, because they can find insects anywhere. It disgusts me, it may be alright to eat insects but people in our country would never think of eating them. There's always food wasted every day and this food should be used for the misfortunate countries. I would rather eat a week old biscuit than an insect.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion, there are many people that would be unable to eat a insect, but, personally, I think that I could. This is a good way to fight hunger when a family haven't got money to eat. In this society we are used to eat very well, because we have a lot of luxuries, but when food is lacking, persons are unable to eat anything. In addiction, as this article says, eat insects is less polluting, and it is very healthy, apart from that the insects reproduce very quickly, therefore, there never missing.
ReplyDeleteI believe that people have to do what they can to survive, in our country eating insects would be unthought of, but not in third world countries you have to do anything to survive. Even though there are tons of wasted food every year in rich countries, these people have learnt how live without others help. In addition seems that eating insects is good, because they have lots of protein and is one of the solutions to combat world hunger of much poor countries.
ReplyDeleteI think that we should eat the food which we have ever eaten and give the insects at a poor countries as Africa to reduce the hunger and fight the poverty. It's a good idea the feed convrsion rates with others aliments but i wouldn't eat these aliments.
ReplyDeleteThe article brings up a good point but I think actually implementing this idea is a long ways off. I just can't get over the crunch as you bite into a cockroach, that is absolutely disgusting. But it's true that there are a lot of children dying of starvation in Africa and other undeveloped countries but the number has lowered significantly so we must be doing something right and I've yet to eat a caterpillar, grasshopper, cockroach or any other insect.
ReplyDeleteBut seriously that's nasty, no thank you.
I think that I will not taste insects for pleasure on my live. The idea disguste me to much. But, I know that insects are the new fashion food, and too countries eat it like we eat roast beef. Culture, traditions, religions and food are aspects that depence to the place where you have born. They are not strange, only dfferent than us.
ReplyDeleteI think that eating insects is usual in other countries and it could be another way tu combat the world hunger. Insects have a lot of protein and it could save a lot of lifes. Insects are everywhere and that is why there is no shortage of.
ReplyDeleteIn my opinion eating insects is good idea to combat world hunger. If it's true that insects have a lot of proteins we should taste this, because maybe it's a good way to end with the world hunger. While all this is very well, I would have to be in a very extreme case for eating insects.
ReplyDeleteWell, since my childhood I have been eating insects at home, at the restaurant and even like very appreciated delicatessen. I am talking about snails, prawns, flies in the soup, earthworm living in the mushrooms. But, of course, because culture and educational habits, I am not really interested in this kind of food, such grasshoppers, worms, grubs. For many years, China has been involved by a terrible famine and people before die started eating everything. After years it became their daily menu and now the trade insects all around the world as a delicatessen. But famine is still in many countries, specially in Africa and cook and eat insects is normal, safe and healthy. Medical authorities say that eating insects can afford a lot of proteins and an important amount of minerals. So, there is not problem with such nutrition but cultural. Even more, the insects farms would pollute less than those of cows, pigs and so on. What about spiders filled with roasted arms for my wedding? Surely, it would be a special day.
ReplyDeleteIn our culture isn't usually to eat insects. But, nowadays a lot of people have included insects on their diet. In my opinion, I think is right to eat insects if someone is hungry, but I wouldn't do because it might be disgusting.
ReplyDelete