Fancy a bedbug burger? Perhaps a fly frittata? Has your appetite crawled off?
Well we need to grow up, according to the United Nations, who told Western countries on Monday to shed their revulsion of edible insects and start looking at how to incorporate them into our diet.
The report discussed the possibility of "insect farming" both for human consumption and for livestock. It suggested Western countries produce a 'tailored strategy' to counter the common myths surrounding "creepy crawlies" and stated: "Common prejudice against eating insects is not justified from a nutritional point of view. Insects are not inferior to other protein sources such as fish, chicken and beef.
"Although it will require considerable convincing to reverse this mentality, it is not an impossible feat. Arthropods like lobsters and shrimps, once considered poor-man’s food in the West, are now expensive delicacies there. It is hoped that arguments such as the high nutritional value of insects and their low environmental impact, low-risk nature (from a disease standpoint) and palatability may also contribute to a shift in perception."
As part of a bid to help ease the burden of growing populations and find sustainable food resources, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization said research needed to be done into how to address our "disgust factor" at eating insects. Take a look through the places you can eat bugs and why you should below.