The UN has new weapons to fight hunger, boost nutrition and reduce pollution, and they might be crawling or flying near you right now: edible insects.
The Food and Agriculture Organization on May 13 hailed the likes of grasshoppers, ants and other members of the insect world as an underutilized food for people, livestock and pets.
A 200-page report, released at a news conference at the UN agency’s Rome headquarters, says two billion people worldwide already supplement their diets with insects.
Photo: AFP
照片:法新社
“One of the many ways to address food and feed insecurity is through insect farming,” the report said, pointing out that insects were “nutritious, with high protein, fat and mineral contents.”
“Insects are everywhere and they reproduce quickly, and they have high growth and feed conversion rates and a low environmental footprint,” it said.
But the authors admitted that “consumer disgust remains one of the largest barriers to the adoption of insects as viable sources of protein in many Western countries.”
It suggested that the food industry could help in “raising the status of insects” by including them in new recipes and putting them on restaurant menus.
(AP)
聯合國有新武器對抗飢餓、增進營養及減少污染,而且牠們現在可能就在你身邊爬行或飛翔:可食用的昆蟲。
聯合國糧農組織五月十三日稱許蚱蜢、螞蟻等以及昆蟲世界其他成員,是人類、牲畜及寵物未充分利用的食物。
糧農組織在羅馬總部召開的記者會上發表的一份兩百頁報告說,全球二十億人已用昆蟲來補充他們的飲食。
「解決食物與飼料不足有很多方法,其中之一是透過昆蟲養殖」,該報告指出,昆蟲「很營養,富含蛋白質、脂肪與礦物質。」
該報告說:「昆蟲到處都有,繁殖快速,生長率與飼料轉換率高,且環境足跡低。」
但報告作者群承認:「在許多西方國家,要讓昆蟲成為可行的蛋白質來源,消費者厭惡昆蟲仍是一大障礙。」
報告建議,食品業者可協助「提高昆蟲的地位」,在新食譜中納入昆蟲,並將昆蟲放進餐廳菜單內。
(美聯社/翻譯:陳成良)
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