昆虫汉堡、蟋蟀比萨听到这类新鲜菜式的名字，你是垂涎欲滴还是脑袋发懵？不论你同意与否，虫子这种不同一般的食材已在世界各地时尚起来。伴随人口增长，大家已经开始探寻含蛋白质等营养物质的可替代食品资源，有愈加多的企业也借此时尚探索全新的商机。
Feeling hungry? How about some worms with your spaghetti? Perhaps some ground cricket to sprinkle on your pizza? Or maybe just a good old bug1 burger?
While the idea of eating insects disgusts many, dont be surprised if you find creepy-crawlies on your own plate before long.
Why? Because insects could hold the key to the challenge of feeding the worlds growing population. With the number of humans on the planet expected to reach 9 billion by 2050, the search is on for alternative sources of protein beyond the traditional meat and fish.
Insects are not only high in protein, but also minerals and amino acids, according to Shami Radia, co-founder of Grub, a company which sells edible2 bugs3. Insects are the original superfood, says Radia.
Environmentally, insects produce less greenhouse gas, use less water and take up less farmland than conventional livestock4 farming, meaning they have a smaller impact on the planet.
So if theyre good for the environment and good for you, why arent we eating insects? In fact, in many places we already are. Its estimated that two billion people around the world eat insects as part of their diet. But most Western nations have not yet adopted the practice.
Its the yuck factor that sTOPs them from eating bugs, according to the Waste and Resources Action Programme. People in the West generally view insects as unclean and carriers of disease. Theyre seen as pests: they damage crops, destroy furniture and live in dirty places.
But perhaps attitudes are slowly shifting. Certain types of insects are becoming more palatable5 to consumers, such as locusts6 and grasshoppers7. Nick Cooper sells insects as food through his UK company Crunchy Critters, and has seen a sales growth rate of 25% year on year. He believes young people are more open to eating insects.
Shami Radia believes that munching8 bugs will one day become as popular as eating sushi. Behaviour can be changed, he says. Prawns9 are ugly and taste delicious and theres no reason why eating insects cant be normalised.
