UN Says Eat Insects to Curb World Hunger
Insects - You might not see these on your dinner plate, but various bugs are a daily source of nutrition in many places of the world. Now the UN has called on more people to eat creepy crawlies as means of fighting malnutrition in less economically developed nations, as well as new way of tackling obesity in the West.
Eva Miller, the director of the UN's Forest Economics, Policy and Products Division, explained that eating insects would be beneficial to Western nations in the long term.
"So, tastes can change and we've already seen insects showing up in restaurants in some of the capitals in Europe and they are offered as something like a speciality. So, in the longer term I think insects could also be eaten in western countries and why this would be good? Well, we know that the population is growing and there is going to be an increased demand for food and protein in general and insects offer one option of providing this protein. And in western cultures where we have a huge problem of obesity and overweight, insects are a very nutritious element that could provide a healthy diet."
The UN report says that eating insects boosts nutrition and reduces pollution. The report does recognise that many people are put off by the prospect of such a meal, but for the adventurous among us a burger full of insects could be the next dietary craze.
Written and presented by Alfred Joyner