With ‘I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here’ back on our TV screens, conversations are now turning to tonight’s episode in ‘The Cockroach Café’ which will see this year’s troupe of stars tucking into a variety of dishes – the ingredients of which are more used to being found in the jungle than on a dinner plate! Think cockroaches, spiders and a variety of other insects.
As leading international hunger charity stopping life-threatening hunger in its tracks, Action Against Hunger is looking at innovative ways in which it can tackle the growing food crisis caused by the effects of conflict, climate change and rising food prices.
Our research in the Central African Republic has shown how insects can provide a high source of nutrition and that this type of food is more resilient to climate shocks. Its wider effects include helping to remove gender inequalities by providing more employment opportunities for women.
Further studies around the consumption of insects have taken place in Cameroon. Here Action Against Hunger staff looked at the benefits of eating caterpillars for local populations finding that the motivations for consuming insects include the taste (24%), the fact that it’s cheaper than meat (21%), and its nutritional value (14%).
It also has a longer term impact when we see that many species of insects require less than one litre of water per kilogram of insect. This can be an gamechanger in those areas which are more susceptible to drought, which can destroy livestock and harvests. Looking at sustainable ways in which we can increase insect production for consumption is one of the many ways in which we can solve malnutrition.
Other interesting facts:
- Insects don’t have to be eaten directly, but you can use them to make other staples like flour. In Cameroon, people have used caterpillars for this very purpose
- They can be a good source of food all year round. Smoked insects for example can be kept longer as a source of food during lean season when there isn’t a plentiful supply of crops
- It takes roughly two kilograms of feed to produce one kilogram of insects, whilst the same amount of beef needs eight kilograms
- Pigs can produce as much as 100 times the greenhouse gases of mealworms
- Test your knowledge and take Action Against Hunger’s insect quiz here
Notes to editors:
- Action Against Hunger spokespeople can talk about the rising number of people who are turning to insects as a source of sustainable food, and how it can transform the global food system as well as what needs to happen to achieve this. Contact Lucy or David on press@actionagainsthunger.org.uk or 0208293 6130 to arrange.
- Action Against Hunger is the world’s leading charity stopping life-threatening hunger in its tracks. By training parents and healthcare workers to spot the signs, we get life-saving care to people who need it. Action Against Hunger’s research drives forward understanding of how to predict, prevent and treat life-threatening hunger. With unbeatable knowledge and unstoppable determination, the charity supported more than 26 million people across 51 countries in 2021.
- For more information, please visit Action Against Hunger UK’s website or follow Action Against Hunger UK on Twitter and Facebook, LinkedIn, and Instagram.