Don't step on that bug...maybe eat it.
WPM Editorial Staff Article Summary
WILL POWER MATRIX ARTICLE SUMMARY Title of Article: Let Them Eat Bugs
Publication: Economist.com Date of Publication: Jul 12th 2008 WPM Introductory Summary
When one thinks of protein they don't immediately think insects. But nowadays, in a world that is getting hungrier, with price tags on food rising some 75%, the world is looking to a new, abundant and environmentally friendly source of food: insects.
WPM Bullet Points: 5-10 points of interest in the article
The World Bank estimates that the soaring cost of food will push nearly 100 million people into poverty. Scientists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico have an idea to save the world from hunger: entomogaphy. Entomogaphy means dining on insects. They claim that the practice is common in some 113 countries and that bugs provide a better meal of nutrients and protein than beef or fish. Cultivation of livestock is causing deforestation and unreliable rain, so entomogaphy can help cease the demand for beef. However, by 2050, the world's demand for meat will nearly double. Eating an insect causes less damage to the world than eating meat. Now in Thailand, locusts, once a pest in the field, are now a delicacy and have become quite popular. Insect populations vary with seasons. Insects are more plentiful still than beef or fish will ever be.
WPM Conclusion Summary
Overall, while it may not seem to appetizing to eat an insect, the trend is on the rise. Environmentally and nutritionally, insects are more appealing than meat: you get more for less. The problem of getting people to eat insects? Simple. Supplement of insect protein could be added to processed food without the public even recognizing a change. Eating insects may not seem like a delicious idea, but it will make the world more environmentally stable.
WPM Sources 1. Scientists at the National Autonomous University of Mexico 2. World Bank 3. The FAO 4. Khon Kean University 5. Patrick Durst, officer at the FAO
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