The edible insect industry is growing rapidly creating a market of more than 1 billion dollars, with more than 400 active companies in Europe and the US. Australia aspires to be another of the great producers of these nutritious, sustainable and ethical foods destined to reinforce the world food mass.
“Don’t resist: more than 2,000 million people in 130 countries already consume insects,” say researchers Rocío Ponce-Reyes and Bryan Lessard, from the Australian National Scientific Agency CSIRO (www.csiro.au), which is promoting a program to strengthen the connections between Australia and Latin America.
“In Australia, for example, many already consume natural red food coloring made from cochineal, or peanut butter, which can legally contain up to 5% fragments of insects,” explain doctors Ponce-Reyes, conservation scientist, and Lessard, an entomologist, in the popular scholarly publication The Conversation.
They point out that one of the biggest challenges is ensuring that there is enough food for everyone, given that the world’s population is projected to reach 9.7 billion by 2050, land and water for cultivation is limited and supply chains are threatened by water. climate change, harmful environmental practices and emerging diseases.
In this context, there are four good reasons why insects could be a basic element in the diet: there is a long tradition of consuming insects, this type of food could help improve our health, there are already products with insects and growing them benefits the environment, they point out.
Ponce-Reyes and Lessard have just presented the CSIRO study ‘Edible insects: strategies for the growth of an emerging Australian industry’ (https://research.csiro.au/edibleinsects/wp-content/uploads/sites/347/2021 /04/CSIRO-Insectos-Comestibles.pdf).
In this paper they describe a strategic plan that explores the challenges and opportunities for Australia to participate in the global edible insect market, a sector that the CSIRO humorously calls “an industry with legs” and is expected to have a worth about 1.4 billion Australian dollars (US $ 1.08 billion) by 2023.
This study is a roadmap that provides a framework for initiatives and stakeholders to engage in this industry in Australia, from emerging insect processing companies, farmers and food producers, to researchers, policy makers, practitioners, ‘chefs’ and companies of native peoples.
A GREAT ALTERNATIVE SOURCE OF PROTEINS.
This report is available in English and Spanish, allowing connections between Australia and Latin American countries, such as Mexico, where eating insects is more widespread, and provides guidance for Spanish-speaking countries on how to develop their local insect industries, according to the CSIRO.
“If we are more courageous when choosing our food and incorporating insects into our diet, we can reduce our environmental footprint, improve our health and be more connected to the land and culture. We are convinced that you, your friends and your pets will enjoy it ”, say the authors.
“The global edible insect industry was growing rapidly. Europe and the US lead the western market, with more than 400 businesses related to this industry in operation ”, says Dr. Rocío Ponce Reyes, co-author of the report (https://people.csiro.au/P/R/Rocio-Poncereyes ).
These European and American companies are engaged in a variety of activities such as producing insects for human consumption, food products that incorporate insects in their preparation, feed for pets and other animals, and the management of waste from these productions, according to this expert.
He points out that “insects have high-value nutritional profiles and are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, folic acid and vitamins B12, C and E, and are an alternative source of protein and nutrients to complement our diets. , healthy and friendly with the environment ”.
LARVAES, ANTS AND CRICKETS IN THE MENU.
According to this researcher, more than 2,100 species of insects are currently consumed by around a quarter of the world’s population, including 60 species of Australian insects that native peoples traditionally consume, such as witjuti (or ‘witchetty’) larvae, moths’ bogong ‘, honey ants (‘ Honeypot ants’) and green tree ants.
“The Netherlands is one of the leading countries in the edible insects industry in Europe, while in America, Canada has one of the largest cricket farms in the world,” Dr. Ponce Reyes told Efe. (www.bugburger.se) as a source of information on business news in this sector.
Asked about which are the edible insect species with the greatest productive and nutritional potential in Australia and in the world, this researcher points out: “they are still investigating to be able to answer this question, although I don’t think there is a single species in particular”.
He points out that there are still many unknowns regarding the nutritional values and safety levels of many of the Australian insect species.
“There is also a lot of work to do when it comes to cultivating the different species, that is, about the specific requirements for cultivating insects in captivity such as their food and environmental temperature and humidity. There is also a need for more research on the productive yields that can be obtained under different conditions ”, he points out.
“Currently, crickets and mealworms are the insects that are most frequently produced for edible purposes,” says Ponce Reyes.
For Dr. Lessar (https://people.csiro.au/L/B/Bryan-Lessard), if you work with the companies of the ‘First Nations’ (aboriginal peoples), many species of native insects could be harvested or cultivated on farms in an environmentally sustainable way and become delicious food for Australians and their pets.
“The commercial cultivation of insects has a low environmental impact. It requires a minimum of food, water, energy and land resources, important factors for modern health and the ethically conscious consumer, ”according to the co-author of the report.
“If we compare them with cows, pigs and chickens, insects produce less ‘greenhouse gases’, because they do not defecate as much or ferment food in their entrails producing methane (except for cockroaches and termites). In addition, only a very small part of the insect is wasted, and even its waste or excrement can be turned into fertilizers ”, he adds.
By Daniel Galilea.
EFE / REPORTS
Comments
Comments
–
