According to the report of the US “The Wall Street Journal†on February 21, with the increase in the global population and the surge in human demand for meat, humans may have to eat insects to increase protein in the future. Of the known insect species, 6 of the 6 legs account for 80% of the total. They are not only nutritious but also harmless to the environment, and they taste good.
It is reported that insects are rich in protein, vitamin B, and minerals such as iron and zinc and have low fat content. In addition, insects are easier to keep than livestock and they produce less waste. With a wide variety of insects, it has been confirmed that more than 1,000 species are edible. And the taste is also very good. In addition, feeding insects also avoids many animal-related diseases. For example, pigs and humans have too many similar genes and therefore are likely to have the same disease.
Insects are mostly cold-blooded animals, and they do not need to be raised like pigs or cows. Current livestock consume too much energy to maintain their body temperature. Feeding insects requires less water and produces fewer greenhouse gases.
Many developing countries now have the habit of eating insects. For example, in Thailand and Laos, ants are considered as high-nutrition foods. Ancient Romans believed that the beetle larvae were a rare delicacy. The Old Testament also mentioned eating crickets and quail. Japan's Emperor Hirohito's favorite food is to cook rice, wasps (including crickets, larvae, and adult bees), soy sauce, and sugar together. Westerners have gradually begun to accept insect foods. The London Islands Restaurant offers $11 (approximately RMB72) cream pudding pudding, and New York’s Mexican restaurant Toloache offers $11 (approximately RMB72) of taco roll.
In the past two years, the Netherlands has already had 3 insect feeding companies. They used to provide food for zoo animals, but now they have set up a production line to provide human consumers with locusts and beetle larvae. Now, dozens of food retailers in the Netherlands are selling insect food, and even some restaurants have added insect foods to the menu.