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Better future food? Insects as the better food and feed
The bigger the world population gets, the harder it is to provide all people with enough food. In addition, there are changes in the course of climate change, which additionally threaten the earnings situation in agriculture. A way out could be to switch to insects as feed and food. The Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) is now organizing a scientific symposium to discuss the benefits as well as possible health risks of insect nourishment.
According to the BfR, insects are considered to be "a nutritionally beneficial food source" because many insects are rich in high-quality proteins and their energy value is comparable to that of meat. According to estimates by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), more than 1,900 species of insects are consumed worldwide, the BfR reports. However, the consumption of insects and the use of insects as feed for livestock in Europe is not common practice. Here, however, a growing public interest in the insect foods can be found.
In the future, insects could revolutionize world nutrition as feed and food. (Image: catherinelprod / fotolia.com) Insects a valuable food source
In the opinion of the BfR, it is important to first better investigate potential health risks caused by insects as food and feed. The BfR symposium "Insects as Food and Feed - Food of the Future?" Should make a contribution here. However, in view of their average protein content of between 35 and 77 percent, insects are generally regarded as a very valuable food source and are also being discussed as an alternative to imported protein feeds such as soy, the BfR reports. The average fat content of edible insects is 13 to 33 percent, their energy value is comparable to meat and also insects would contain a lot of fiber and - depending on the species - a variety of micronutrients and vitamins.
Future of world food
Edible insects are according to the BfR "as an ecologically and ethically viable alternative to meat." In the production of insects as protein suppliers, the life cycle assessment is considered favorable because they require less energy than traditional livestock as mutagenic animals. It also assessed their feed conversion efficiency as higher and the carbon footprint more favorable than meat production with warm-blooded livestock such as beef, pork or poultry, according to the BfR. In addition, the attitude and the consumption of insects should also be assessed as less problematic in terms of animal welfare. The insects are therefore given a crucial role, especially for the future of global nutrition.
Assessment of health risks required
"Insects as a food source are increasingly attracting public interest," emphasizes Professor Dr. med. Reiner Wittkowski, Vice President of the BfR. It is all the more important to clarify how safe these new foods are. According to Prof. Wittkowski, studies on the toxicological and microbiological safety of insects are hardly available. When assessing potential health risks, the toxicological properties of the ingredients, contaminants and residues in food and feed produced from insects should also be taken into account, reports the BfR. In addition, the potential allergenic potential of foods from edible insects must be clarified. Other important aspects include microbiological risks and hygiene issues in the selection, keeping and breeding of insects.
Insects widely accepted as feed
According to the BfR, in the public eye insects are repeatedly discussed as a forward-looking, sustainable food source because "compared to meat, the environmental, economic, physiological and ethical advantages should outweigh." A recent representative survey of the BfR, whose results presented at the symposium have shown that most Germans do not expect any health risks from eating insects, but want more information before they consume insects. The majority of Germans accept the survey results according to insects as feed. The acceptance as a food, however, split split. Although the high protein content is evaluated as an advantage, the individual disgust barrier forms a frequently mentioned disadvantage. Health risks from eating insects are not expected by a majority of respondents, but they would not eat insects.
Positive coverage of insect foods
Increased acceptance could be experienced by insects as food, if they are rendered unrecognizable by processing and more information - especially for health safety - is available, the BfR reports further from the survey results. The highest acceptance of insects as food was observed in educated, urban men between the ages of 18 and 30 years. Regarding the media reports on insects as food and feed, the BfR explains that in the past two years these have for the most part been positive. In the foreground advantages such as the high protein content and the importance for the world nutrition would have stood. So far, health risks have hardly been a topic in the media.
Significant research needs
In the EU, insects are currently valued as novel foods under food law, explains the BfR. The majority of insects consumed worldwide today are derived directly from nature, but the use of insects as food or feed in the future, an industrial breeding under controlled conditions is sought. According to the BfR press release, there is considerable need for research here, both in terms of technological processing and processing steps as well as toxicological and microbial safety. (Fp)