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So why should we eat insects? The standard answer is: it is a cheap and sustainable source of protein. But I have yet to see a convincing argument that it is cheaper and more sustainable than soy protein, aka tofu.
I don't want to have to start eating bugs just to make room for a few billion more fellow bug-eaters.
I somehow don't think this is what they mean with "eating insects is the future" with the $700 worm hive and $300 ant booze.
Before pineapples were able to be cheaply grown and imported so the masses could afford them, they were revered as a treat only reserved for the upper echelon of society. Now, they're just another cheap fruit in the supermarket.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Probably because the main argument behind starting to eat insects is that meat production in the West is unsustainable and devastating ecologically; the main reason we even get to enjoy meat is, from what I've heard, heavy subsidizing of meat production. I've read people saying meat is 10x cheaper than it should be, based just on production costs alone.
This isn't unique to meat and leaving out that information is misleading. Food in the US is heavily subsidized and overseen by the government for obvious reasons. Just like water is too important to leave to the free market, food is heavily regulated to ensure the health of the nation.
Mechanisms for sustainability and productivity - the Haber-Bosch process, genetic engineering, the "green revolution", etc. - are a bit of a two-edge sword in that they have allowed for massive population growth. New highways ultimately increase traffic through induced demand. Is not a similar effect at play with these technologies? I don't want to have to start eating bugs just to make room for a few billion more fe…
The right way to stop population growth is not to starve poor countries to death, but to bring them to a higher level of wealth, education, and stability. Do this, and overpopulation (and a bunch of other problems) will solve itself.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Chicken, pork, salmon and tuna are definitely cheap sources of protein (depending on the country, but generally at least one of them is cheap).
That cheapness is mainly due to non-priced-in externalities (greenhouse gas farts! water use!) and poor treatment of animals (not that I'm a PETA member or anything). EDIT: And as mentioned elsewhere: government subsidies in many countries (and/or import/export controls).
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Chicken, pork, salmon and tuna are definitely cheap sources of protein (depending on the country, but generally at least one of them is cheap).
That cheapness is mainly due to non-priced-in externalities (greenhouse gas farts! water use!) and poor treatment of animals (not that I'm a PETA member or anything). EDIT: And as mentioned elsewhere: government subsidies in many countries (and/or import/export controls).
So why should we eat insects? The standard answer is: it is a cheap and sustainable source of protein. But I have yet to see a convincing argument that it is cheaper and more sustainable than soy protein, aka tofu.
Most food is wasted directly at the producer when it does not meet some standard (size, form, flaws, color etc). Also there are many parts of plants that are not used at all (stems, leaves etc). I guess it is also much easier to grow just any plant that the insects eat, compared to something that humans like, especially in areas where industrial farming is not effective.