(July 14, 2015) The
growing consumer demand for protein—and the lack of new farmland to raise more
livestock—could make insects an attractive alternative to traditional protein
sources, according to a July 13 symposium at IFT15: Where Science Feeds
Innovation hosted by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT) in Chicago.
“We have 7 billion people now and that’s projected to be 9
billion in 2050. We’re already using a third of the land on Earth for raising
livestock, and the demand for protein is growing even faster than the
population, especially animal protein,” said Aaron Dossey, Ph.D., founder of
All Things Bugs LLC. “The good news is I think insects are a very nutritional
alternative.”
Dossey’s company, which will produce about 25,000 pounds of
cricket powder this year, has received research grants for several projects
related to using insects as food, including how it can alleviate childhood
malnutrition. He cited several properties that make it a valuable food source,
including:
* Efficiency. They
use less land, water, feed, energy and other resources than livestock.
* Environmentally
friendly/clean. Insects create fewer greenhouse gases and are not contaminated
with pesticides. They also do not have any hormones in their bodies.
* Prolific. They
reproduce quickly so they can replace depleted resources.
* Biodiverse. There
are millions of insect species, so it is easy to find a match to a location’s
need.
* Nutritious. They
have protein and Omega 3s, a class of essential fatty acids that help lower
cholesterol.