Greed, New Form of Religion, or Compliance Test: Why Are Britons Forced to Eat Bugs?
13:30 GMT 13.09.2024 (Updated: 13:37 GMT 13.09.2024)
© AP Photo / Gerald Herbert
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The UK's National Alternative Protein Innovation Center (NAPIC) has received £15 million ($19.5 million) in British taxpayer money to bolster the alternative proteins sector in the country.
According to the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) website, cultured meat and insect-based proteins could soon be "a sustainable and nutritious part" of Britons' diets.
Over the past few years, the British press has peddled the idea of embracing edible insects as an alternative to meat. They are rich in protein, healthy fats, vitamins, and minerals, and have a lower environmental footprint, the media asserts to Britons.
"British firms strive to create a buzz around insect farming," "Edible insects and lab-grown meat are on the menu," "Would you eat insects if they were tastier?" and "Why it’s time to embrace edible insects?" UK headlines read, stressing that the global insect protein market is projected to reach $8 billion by 2030.
Where Did the Idea of Eating Insects Originate?
Entomophagy, or eating insects, has been actively promoted at the World Economic Forum (WEF), which insists that the consumption of insects "can offset climate change in many ways" and prevent the "impending food crisis," as the world's population is set to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050, with just 4% of arable land remaining available.
In 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) issued a report stating that around two billion people worldwide eat insects as part of their traditional diets.
In 2014, the Belgian food safety agency AFSCA approved 10 worm and cricket species for sale on the Belgian market, exploiting a loose interpretation of a 1997 EU law on "novel food." The Netherlands, UK, Denmark, and Finland also authorized insects for consumption.
In 2017, the EU and UK permitted seven species of insect to be used as feeds in fish farms.
In January 2018, a European Parliament regulation concerning "novel foods," including insects, came into force.
In May 2021, the EU officially approved the first insect, the yellow mealworm, as food for humans.
By 2023, four insects had been approved by the EU Commission: the yellow mealworm; the migratory locust); the house cricket; and the lesser mealworm. The EU food safety agency signaled at the time that another eight insects could be authorized soon.
The EC claims that "the environmental benefits of rearing insects for food are founded on the high feed conversion efficiency of insects, less greenhouse gas emissions, less use of water and arable lands, and the use of insect-based bioconversion as a marketable solution for reducing food waste."
Who's Driving the Bug Business?
EnviroFlight (US), Innovafeed (France), HEXAFLY (Ireland), Protix (Netherlands), Global Bugs (Thailand), Entomo Farms (Canada), and Ynsect (France) are named as key players in the market.
Europeans are believed to be the first who delved in the insect protein business, with French firm Ynsect, founded in 2011, and the Dutch producer of insect ingredients Protix, established in 2009.
Insect protein firms are attracting hefty investments from global foundations and food giants.
In 2017, Protix raised $50.5 million in equity and debt funding, marking the largest investment in the industry at the time.
🪲 Greed, new form of religion, or compliance test: Why are Britons being forced to eat bugs?
— Sputnik (@SputnikInt) September 13, 2024
The UK's National Alternative Protein Innovation Centre (NAPIC) received £15 million ($19.5 million) in British taxpayer money to make insect-based proteins along with cultured meat "a… pic.twitter.com/7lv49dyeH2
The US rushed to catch on, with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation granting $100,000 to All Things Bugs in 2012 to explore insect food production.
Two American food corporations, ADM and Cargill, invested a whopping $250 million in the French insect protein firm Innovafeed in September 2022. In 2023, the US food giant Tyson poured around $58 million into Protix.
According to some estimates, the edible insect market reached $3.8 billion in 2024, and is projected to amount to $9.04 billion by 2029.
The European market is seen as the largest, while South Asia is the fastest growing. Still, it pales in comparison with the fresh meat market, which amounted to $1.11 trillion as of 2024 and is set to expand further.
Insects Can Be Toxic, But Entomophagy Proponents Don't Care
Scientists warn that the consumption of edible insects may result in allergic reactions, particularly in people with asthma, hay fever, or allergic skin rashes. Individuals with shellfish allergies – 2% of the worldwide population – are likely to suffer allergic reactions after consuming insects due to their chitin exoskeleton.
Edible insects, including those approved by the EU, are often infected with pathogens and parasites that pose a threat for humans and livestock, a 2019 study by researchers from the University of Warmia and Mazury, Poland, concluded.
What Does the Western Public Say?
Insects have never been part of Western societies' diet. A 2023 YouGov survey showed that 18% of Americans would be willing to eat whole bugs, while 25% would agree to eat food made with insects.
High living standards still allow Westerners to consume animal protein. The edible insect protein business doesn't offer high margins amid low consumer acceptance. Consumption of insects is fraught with risks of allergic reactions and parasitic infections.
Nonetheless, entomophagy is being rammed down their throats by the WEF, media, and Hollywood stars eating bugs on camera.
Then-Fox News host Tucker Carlson in 2023 investigated the environmentalist push to eat "creepy crawlers" and suggested that it's a "compliance test" similar to excessive COVID restrictions.
"Our politicians know that when they control the food, they control the people," Dutch political activist Eva Vlaardingerbroek told the journalist, referring to EU environmental regulations which make traditional farming in the bloc unprofitable.
"It's all a new religion… We have to be fearful and scared for COVID, for nitrogen, for carbon dioxide, for [Vladimir] Putin… and meanwhile these people who are in power, now they do whatever they want," Dutch politician Wybren van Haga said.
Meanwhile, the research and propaganda relating to insect eating has already become a source of wealth for researchers, media companies, speakers, and international forums.
