Issue 529 Bug farms February 17, 2015

Apparently there has been some talk amongst the people who are worried about a world food crisis and the effects farming animals has on climate change.  In an issue of National Geographic they did a two page summary of the advantages of eating bugs as an alternative food source and how farming them over say cows, reduces the environmental impact we humans have on the planet.  Let's discuss what I have learned.

Interesting facts:  Did you know that a full quarter of the world's population eats bugs as part of their diet?  Also, there are 2,000 edible species of bug on the planet that we know of?  Well, I knew the French eat snails, but this is a whole lot more than I thought.  In fact, bugs have a higher protein value than other animals.  However, the reason they are not widely accepted as a food source is because they are, well, real yucky looking.  I mean, have you seen a slug?  Ewww.  So the idea to possibly make them more acceptable to the rest of the world is to make them into pasts and powders.  So you could have a bag of flower that is 1/4 ground cricket.  Though that may be a decade or so off, because it has to be accepted by people first.  So education is the key.

Getting people to accept bug food:  So, the article pointed out some places where bugs are used that we probably did not even realize.  Bugs are used as animal feed.  This seems easy to digest, as the high proteins in bugs help the animal’s bulk up without the need for steroids.  The creepy critters are used to color lipstick and other things like alcohols.  So you may be rubbing ground beetle on your lips or drinking crushed spider in your favorite beer.  Also, they are used in medicine as well.  So we are already eating bugs and probably do not even realize it.

Farming wise, for those environmentally conscious people, the bugs take up very small plots of land to farm.  So there is less need to clear large forests for grazing animals as bugs do not graze.  Instead, you just need a barn with enough space for mass production.  As they are so small, they generate less greenhouse gases and they even eat organic waste such as garbage, which they convert to protein.  So these little guys can eat the stuff we cannot (like dead leaves, dead animals, and other waste).   This means that they are cheaper and easier to feed.  In short, that means a lot less money and the waste is removed and recycled back into energy for us to eat.  Basically, they are easier and cheaper to farm, than a regular farm while reducing the environmental impact on the planet.

Conclusion:  Does all this make me want to eat a cricket, or a beetle?  Not really.  That yuck factor does not have me sold.  Sure, I may try a prepared dish, like something with escargot (snail), but I am not ready for eating a chocolate covered ant.  So for now, I am going to sit back and watch to see what unique possibilities bugs will have on the world’s future diet.