UN urges people to eat insects to fight world hunger

[TorNicho]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-22508439

Insect nutritional value /100g SOURCE: MONTANA STATE UNIVERSITY
Food source ------ Protein (g) - Calcium (mg) -- Iron (mg)
Caterpillar -------- 28.2 ------- n/a ----------- 35.5
Grasshopper ------ 20.6 ------- 35.2 ---------- 5
Dung beetle ------ 17.2 ------- 30.9 ---------- 7.7
Minced beef ------ 27.4 ------- n/a ----------- 3.5

Wasps, beetles and other insects are currently "underutilised" as food for people and livestock, 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 conversion rates and a low environmental footprint," according to the report.

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

The report suggests that the food industry could help in "raising the status of insects" by including them in new recipes and adding them to restaurant menus.

[Plymtom]

Doesn't sound very appitizing I'm afriad

[junmist]

First time I have heard of minced beef being an insect but I will certainly be eating that one but I will give the dung beetle a miss if you don't mind

[munchh]

What about woodlice, they are basically a shrimp?

[TorNicho]

More Here:-

What would a bushtucker diet of bugs and mouse tails do to the body?
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-15851472

[TorNicho]

What about woodlice, they are basically a shrimp?

They are yes. The closest land relation to a lobster is a woodlouse. mmmmm sounds yummy

[Moony]

What about woodlice, they are basically a shrimp?

They are yes. The closest land relation to a lobster is a woodlouse. mmmmm sounds yummy

If shrimp weren't a commonly recognised food stuff to our civilised world and someone put one on a plate in front of you and said "try this, it's delicious !" what do you think we'd say ? Same with woodlice !

[TorNicho]

What about woodlice, they are basically a shrimp?

They are yes. The closest land relation to a lobster is a woodlouse. mmmmm sounds yummy

If shrimp weren't a commonly recognised food stuff to our civilised world and someone put one on a plate in front of you and said "try this, it's delicious !" what do you think we'd say ? Same with woodlice !

http://www.porcellio.scaber.org/woodlice/recipes.htm

Apparently they smell of fish as they cook and add a crunchy texture and a slight fishy taste to the food. - Perhaps they should be mixed in a blender after killing and before cooking?
Woodlice are raised on clean paper and fed with potato for a number of days before cooking. Before cooking they must be killed. This occurs instantly by placing in a sieve and dropping it into a pot of boiling water.
In view of the size of woodlice I would suggest that it wouldn't be a profitable exercise to rely on them to provide enough food to survive on.

More Here:
http://www.woodlands.co.uk/blog/practic ... xperience/

In terms of animal classification, woodlice are very near to saltwater prawns – they are crustaceans and belong to an order called the Isopoda (“same feet”). Worldwide there are 3,000 different species of woodlouse but only 40 of these are found in the UK; and the ones you are likely to come across will be from one of just five species. The 5 species that you are likely to come across (throughout the British Isles) are :

Oniscus asellus (the common shiny woodlouse),
Porcellio scaber (the common rough woodlouse),
Philoscia muscorum (the common striped woodlouse),
Trichoniscus pusillus (the common pygmy woodlouse) and
Armadillidium vulgare (the common pill bug).

we boiled up some water and then tipped in the woodlice where they died quickly. As they cooked their undersides went white but we kept them in a little longer as it is important to cook them for long enough to kill harmful bacteria. After just a couple of minutes, they seemed to be well cooked and ready. Using some pine needles as a sieve(That's a good idea TN), we strained off the boiling water and I prepared myself for tasting my first woodlouse.

Video how to cook woodlice
http://www.woodlands.co.uk/tv/2011/12/h ... ft-skills/

[nickdutch]

There are no figures available, but some estimates put it at about 500g every year. Muesli can inadvertently contain beetle and moth larvae, says Hine. "And 20% of imported dates have a small caterpillar inside."

So, just add muesli and dates and you will be fine

[poppypiesdad]

Was there not something about Krill being harvested and processed in the sea off the Falklands , they developed a hoover to suck them out and they are completely processed and bagged , pure protein . Cant find out wher ei saw this , does this ring any bells with anyone else ?

J