The report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that eating insects could help boost nutrition and reduce pollution.

 

It notes than over 2 billion people worldwide already supplement their diet with insects. 

 

However it admits that "consumer disgust" remains¹ a large barrier in many Western countries.

 

Wasps², beetles³ and other insects are currently "underutilised" as food for people and livestock⁴, the report says. Insect farming is "one of the many ways to address food and feed security". 

 

"Insects are everywhere and they reproduce quickly, and they have high growth and feed conversion⁵ rates and a low environmental footprint," according to the report. 

 

 

The authors point out that insects are nutritious⁷, with high protein, fat and mineral content.

 

They are "particularly important as a food supplement for undernourished children".

 

Insects are also "extremely efficient" in converting feed into edible⁸ meat. Crickets, for example, need 12 times less feed than cattle to produce the same amount of protein, according to the report. 

 

Most insects are are likely to produce fewer environmentally harmful greenhouse gases than other livestock. 

 

The ammonia emissions⁹ associated with insect-rearing are far lower than those linked to conventional livestock such as pigs, says the report.

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