Beetlemania?

Beetlemania? Around two billion people eat insects as part of their diet. Can entomophagy (ie eating bugs) solve our food security problems? 1,900 18% caterpillars (lepidoptera) species of insects have been identified as human food 31% beetles 13% grasshoppers, locusts and crickets (orthoptera) (coleoptera) 10% cicadas, leafhoppers, planthoppers, scale insects and true bugs (hemiptera) 3% dragonflies (odonata) 14% bees, wasps and ants (hymenoptera) 3% termites (isoptera) 2% flies (diptera)I 5% other orders CHOCOLATE BREAD AT WHAT STAGE ARE THEY EATEN? LARVA PUPA ADULT orthoptera isoptera DE LICACY IN NIGERIA hemiptera hymenoptera lepidoptera coleoptera Beef has 280-360g of protein per kg, but has less iron and fewer vitamins and minerals than caterpillars. IN GHANA, WINGED TERMITES A season, people in the Central African Republic eat an average of 42 caterpillars a day. During the rainy ARE THEY GOOD FOR YOU? How much protein doyou get in 1kg? IN MEXICO, SPICY MAIZE PORRIDGE IN SOUTH AFRICA salmon pork chops 250g 260g 320g eggs 130g caterpillars 280g termites 350g tofu 7g ARE THEY GOOD FOR THE ENVIRONMENT? Because insects are cold-blooded, more of their food is used for growth and less to keep their blood warm. How much animal weight do you achieve with 1kg of feed? live weight | edible weight Insects can be fed on organic side-streams such as human and animal waste and abattoir blood. pig 200g | 110g cricket 590g | 470g COw 100g | 40g How much CO, is produced for every 1kg increase in weight? mealworm 8g beetle 122g Cow 2850g cricket 2g locust 18g about 1.2m tonnes of commercial honey every year. Silkworms produce 115,000 tonnes of silk in China and 20,410 tonnes in India every year. Bees deliver OT HER BENEFITS IF WE ALL SWITCHED TO EATING INSECTS, THE WORLD WOULD BE A VERY DIFFERENT PLACE Up to 18% Up to Up to 30% 33% of our global greenhouse gas emissions could be eliminated of the world's land surface could be cut from average could be reclaimed from food prices in most countries the livestock industry Is it time you caught the entomophagy bug? Sources: www.fao.org/docrep/018/13253e/i3253e.pdf www.fao.org/docrep/010/a0701e/a0701e00.htm www.guardian.co.uk/business/2012/sep/19/mass-slaughter-farm-animals-food-prices www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2013/jun/04/eat-less-meat-food-security Written by Adam Frost Design by Paulo Estriga guardiandigitalagency GRASSHOPPERS ARE EATEN IN TAO N JAPAN, RICE COOKED WITH CRUNCHY WASPS WAS ONE OF THE LATE COATED BEES ARE A VERY POPU IROHITO'S FAVOURITE MEALS AGONFLIES BOILED IN COCONUT MILK WITH GINGER ARE A MUCH-APPRECIATED DELICACY IN INDONESIA