Insects: The Protein Source of the Future

Mealworm, grasshopper and crickets on the plate are reminiscent of the jungle camp. But insects will also play an important role for us in the future. For reasons.

That’s what it’s about:

Edible insects are trendy

The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FAO assumes that insects will play an important role in feeding the world population in the future. There are 2111 species of insects that are edible to us. Not only are the nutritional values ​​impressive, the ecological balance of the production is also impressive. Some grasshoppers contain more than twice the protein of beef or chicken. As a source of protein, insects even surpass nuts, legumes and grains.

That’s why we need to talk about it:

Less meat production would be good for the climate

In order to reduce CO2 emissions, scientists around the world are looking for alternatives to meat. Because: Compared to other foods, meat has an extremely poor climate balance. The Dutch scientists De Vries and De Boer already calculated in their study in 2010 that the production of one kilogram of beef produces up to 32 kilograms of CO2 equivalents. That pollutes the environment about as much as driving 200 kilometers by car. These high CO2 values ​​are mainly caused by the fact that cattle take up a lot of grazing land – up to 50 square meters per kilogram of meat. Mealworms cause only a tenth of the emissions and could therefore be a high-yield alternative.

But:

So far, insects have been expensive

The only problem with insect products right now is price. Anyone who orders 70 grams of mealworms online pays just under eight euros. Also crickets or grasshoppers to eat are incredibly expensive compared to meat . “That’s because they’re raised manually,” explains nutritionist Dr. Ina Henkel. However, the insect expert is convinced that this will change in the future. “As soon as mealworms and the like are produced industrially, prices go down.”

And now?

Small portions, big effects

The clear advantage of insects is that the proteins in the dried beetles are highly concentrated. For people who want to avoid meat or fish as much as possible, they are a valuable alternative source of protein . “Because of their high protein content, insects are so filling that you can hardly eat more than 20 percent insects in a dish,” reports the insect expert. Conversely, this means: Already about 50 grams of mealworms provide a full portion of protein. And in comparison, it doesn’t cost that much more than good meat.