Constantly we find ourselves in life with things that seem incredible, crazy and even in little taste, and that is that we are surprised every day to find news such as that of the intake of insects.
Intake of insects and arachnids, or arthropods in general, as food for humans and animals, is called entomophagy, and eating insects is a daily activity in many parts of the world.
Could anyone imagine ever tasting a burger of larvae, crickets with onion and paprika or scorpions with chocolate?
An extensive and complete report of the published organism indicates that many species contain as many proteins as meat and that their production is cheap, encouraging their consumption, both by humans and animals.
Consume insects, an alternative to the need to increase food production.
The FAO, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, maintains that eating insects may be a possible solution to world hunger, also “estimates that we will need to increase food production by 60% by 2050 due to the increase in population and increased demand for animal protein, ”recalls Patrick Durst (former FAO worker).
Their production is usually more economical; they can feed on remains and waste. For example, producing a kilo of cricket requires two of the food, while a kilo of beef requires up to 25 of feed or forage.
Protein value contained in insects
Perhaps you also change your mind and include insects in your daily diet when you read the number of benefits they bring to your body, at work and even the environment. Disgusting, yes, but very beneficial.
Eating insects is a highly nutritious and healthy food source. It has a high content of fats, proteins, vitamins, fibers, and minerals and they even turn out to be better than beef, pork, and chicken, since they do not contain harmful fats. But it is not the only nutrient they can get. Crickets are very popular for their high iron content. If you have the dreaded anemia, you may want to consider snacking on a few.
Some regions have already introduced insect consumption into their diets.
It is estimated that more than 2,000 million people already consume insects regularly and that, also, the beetle is the favorite.
In Asia and America, it is common to include them in meals and even exquisite and high-level dishes arrive in which they are the main ingredient.
In China, for example, it is quite common to find roaches and fried scorpions. In Mexico, grasshoppers known as chapullines are consumed with some frequency, in addition to aphids, beetles, butterflies, flies, maguey worms, jumiles, and escamoles. In this country, 549 different species are consumed, which represents a quarter of the known species suitable for human consumption.
If we go to a closed country which is the Island of Sardinia, a cheese very similar to the Torta del Casar is consumed but it contains live worms! It’s called Marzu cheese and you can only find it there.
In 20 years the consumption of insects will displace beef and pork.
Insects are a source of protein for the human diet. Some voices, among them that of John Chambers, former CEO of Cisco, predict that in 20 years it will be the main source of protein in the world, displacing meat from beef, while livestock farming is an activity that negatively impacts the environment. “They are the cleanest and least environmentally friendly way,” Chambers said in the context of the Techonomy conference series, held in 2017. As we have said, the constant growth of the population demands a greater production of food, and faced with this challenge, alternatives arise where the beginning of the consumption of insects stands out. For most it is not a very appetizing proposal, it is a matter of daring.
