Insects Are Part Of The Sustainable Diet Of The Future, Report Says

Do you squirm at the thought of eating creepy-crawlies? You better get used to it because according to British non-profit, the Waste and Resources Action Program, if we want to save our planet, we'll have to start looking at other, unorthodox forms of protein to sustain the world population, and that means eating insects.

A report from WRAP predicts that one of the biggest challenges to the human population in the coming decades will be the development and sustainability of the food system. The report predicts that in the future, we won't be so squeamish at the thought of chowing down on some crickets (which, by the way, are excellent sources of protein, and are already being sold in North America as cricket flour).

"Novel foods in Western diets will incorporate insects to some degree, in a similar way to the spread of sushi from Japan in 2000s, but the major growth will be for feed to livestock," the report said. "We are in danger of, by 2020, the land that is available to us that is productive from an agricultural perspective, being pushed to its limits. So if we can find alternative protein sources that reduce the need for land use or land use change then that's a really good thing to look for."

The report also suggests that we look to incorporating seaweed into our diets, which has 65 to 90 percent protein, as well as lab-grown meat.