The Challenge of Edible Insects
Edible insects: They're low in fat, high in nutrition, and enjoyed worldwide -- except in the U.S. To that end, edible insect startups, like Don Bugito Prehispanic Snackeria in San Francisco, are doing their best here to have consumers exchange their granola bars and potato chip for crickets, mealworms and other treats typically reserved for a military survival course.
But 2 billion people can't be wrong. That's the amount of people who eat edible insects as part of their daily diets worldwide, according to a 2013 study issued by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. These aren't starving people eating insects as a last resort, the study says. They eat them because they like them.
Besides being high in nutrition, edible insects provide other benefits. According to the FAO report, the environment benefits because insects can be raised on human and animal by-products, and they emit less greenhouse gases and less ammonia. They require less land and water than other livestock, like cattle, and may not transmit diseases as rapidly as other food sources, like livestock. And, they can benefit economies through the establishments of minilivestock businesses that offer employment and income.
Big ideas typically start small, and the possibility that edible insects could take off from small specialty startups to mainstream retailers in the U.S. doesn't have to be mere fancy. With consumers always on the lookout for something new to eat, edible insects could be the next Big Thing.
But 2 billion people can't be wrong. That's the amount of people who eat edible insects as part of their daily diets worldwide, according to a 2013 study issued by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization. These aren't starving people eating insects as a last resort, the study says. They eat them because they like them.
Besides being high in nutrition, edible insects provide other benefits. According to the FAO report, the environment benefits because insects can be raised on human and animal by-products, and they emit less greenhouse gases and less ammonia. They require less land and water than other livestock, like cattle, and may not transmit diseases as rapidly as other food sources, like livestock. And, they can benefit economies through the establishments of minilivestock businesses that offer employment and income.
Big ideas typically start small, and the possibility that edible insects could take off from small specialty startups to mainstream retailers in the U.S. doesn't have to be mere fancy. With consumers always on the lookout for something new to eat, edible insects could be the next Big Thing.
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