Insects as Food: Positive Aspects Thomas Weigel Applied Research Manager Edible Insects Lao PDR Email: [email protected] Phone: +856 20 28 221 097 Short course & Workshop on Insects and Food and Feed November, 2016 Kasetsart University, Bangkok
Insects as Food:
Positive Aspects
Thomas Weigel
Applied Research Manager Edible Insects
Lao PDR
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +856 20 28 221 097
Short course & Workshop on Insects and Food
and Feed
November, 2016
Kasetsart University, Bangkok
Outline 1. Context of the Presentation
2. Some facts about edible insects
3. Insects: A valuable source of food
4. Edible insect production: A sustainable livelihoods
activity
5. Conclusions
I. Context of the Presentation
What are current and future challenges with regard to
food security?
How do edible insects fit into this?
Undernutrition & Poverty 795 million people undernourished
worldwide (2014-16)
„Business-as-usual“ forecast: 2030: 650 million people suffer from hunger
2015 poverty projections: 700 million living in extreme poverty ($1.90/day)
Southeast Asia: 26% - 0.6% below National Poverty Line
Prevalence of Undernourishment in Southeast
Asia 2014-16 (estimates) No. (millions) Proportion (%)
Southeast Asia 60.5 9.6
Brunei
Darussalam
n.s. <5
Cambodia 2.2 14.2
Indonesia 19.4 7.6
Laos 1.3 18.5
Malaysia n.s. <5
Myanmar 7.7 14.2
Philippines 13.7 13.5
Thailand 5.0 7.4
Timor-Leste 0.3 26.9
Vietnam 10.3 11.0
Source: FAO, IFAD & WFP, 2015
Source: ADB, 2016
2013
Demographic Trends & Global Food Demand 1. 2015: 7.3 – 2050: 9.7 – 2100: 11.2 billion
2. Urbanization: 2014: 54% urban – 2050: 66%
3. Increasing wealth & purchasing power
Increase in food production to meet food demand
Increased demand for animal-based protein
Challenges for Agricultural Food Production Transformation of agriculture
1. Decrease of agricultural share in GDP & people active in
agriculture
2. Aging farmers
3. Declining performance of agriculture
Challenges for conventional agriculture
Human food production vs. animal feed & biofuel
Land conversion
Degradation of natural resources – soil & water
Climate change
Source: Fan, 2011 in Desker, Caballero-
Anthony & Teng, 2013
Source: FAO, 2011 in Desker,
Caballero-Anthony & Teng, 2013
How do edible insects fit into this context? Edible insects = under-utilized &
under-appreciated food
Increased consumption & production can contribute to...
Improve current/future food & nutrition security
Reduce poverty with insect farming as a sustainable & inclusive livelihoods activity
Make global food system more sustainable
Increased recognition of potential by scientific/development community
Increased business activities worldwide & collaborative platforms for research & industry
II. Some facts about insects
1. What is the scale of insect consumption & where are they
mostly eaten?
2. What are common species consumed & traded in Thailand
and Laos?
3. How about Europe & North America?
Eating Insects – World wide Traditional food for 2 billion people - 100
countries (mainly Asia & Pacific, Africa, Latin
America)
Globally: 1,900 edible insect species;
Thailand: 200 species
>90% of children & adults in Laos eat insects
Thailand Commonly
sold/consumed:
a. Grasshoppers
b. Bamboo caterpillars
c. Crickets
d. Weaver ants
e. Silk worm pupae
f. Water scavanger beetles
Commonly farmed as food:
a. Common/field cricket (North/Northeast)
b. House cricket (North/Northeast)
c. Palm weevil larvae (South)
Source: Hanboonsong, Jamjanya & Durst, 2013
Laos: Insect Trading at Dong Maakhai Market Most insects collected in
wild – very few cricket farms
Insects expensive – mostly bought by more wealthy people
Poor people: collect & eat
Laos: Insects at Dongmakkhai market
Stinkbugs Water scavangers Bamboo worms Mole cricket
Weaver ant pupae Grasshoppers Grasshopper (big) Beetles
Source: Veterinarians without Borders -
Canada
Laos: Sales of Insects at Restaurant
Source: Veterinarians without Borders -
Canada
Europe & North America
Insects not common food, but..
in Italy, Croatia & Germany: cheese with insects!
Growing niche market: insects in specialized restaurants, insect snacks & insect-based products
III. Insects: A valuable source of food
1. Why are insects a good source of food?
2. What are potential positive impacts of eating insects &
what applications are thinkable?
3. Insects and culture: what is the connection?
4. Preparing insects as popular snack: short instructional
video from Laos
Insects: A Food of Choice
Myth: Insects = Emergency food for poor
Fact: Many people love eating insects!
Part of traditonal diets for long time
People choose insects according to own taste
preferences
Sometimes willing to pay high prices (Laos: 1kg
of weaver ant larvae = >100,000LAK = >430 THB
= >12 USD)
Western countries: small, but growing number
of people started to eat insects/insect-based
products
Source: Veterinarians without Borders -
Canada
Insects: Highly Nutritious
Comparable to or exceeding nutritional values of conventional livestock/fish
Crude protein: 13 - 77% of dry matter
Crude fat: <5% - >50% of dry matter
Good source of minerals (e.g. iron, zinc, copper) & vitamins (e.g vitamin B2, vitamin E)
Source: Hanboonsong &
Durst, 2014
Potential impacts & applications
Contribute to healthy diets & improve malnutrition (protein-energy deficiencies & „hidden hunger“)
Improve nutritional value of traditional foods (e.g. Chili paste, soup)
Micronutrient-rich foods for complementary feeding of infants/young children (e.g. WinFood cereals)
Food fortification – e.g. Instant noodles
Emergency food (disaster) – quickly available
Alternative source of animal-based protein – respond to growing global demand
Source: Veterinarians without Borders -
Canada
Edible Insects: Part of traditional culture
Traditional foods increasingly replaced by
modern Western-style foods/highly processed
foods – often negative health impacts (obesity,
non-communicable diseases)
Reasons: Modernization, urbanization &
supermarketization & change in attitudes
(traditional = outfashioned/backwards;
modern = progessive/hip/high social status)
Tradition of eating insects may be at risk =
loss of one part of traditional culture
Promotion of insect consumption & production
= revitalisation of traditional culture =
positive effects on livelihoods
Video: Women in Laos frying crickets
(workshop)
Source: Veterinarians without Borders -
Canada
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FWU-qEB1QFU
IV. Edible Insect Production: A
Sustainable Livelihoods Activity
1. What is the scale of insect farming (crickets) in Thailand?
2. Case study from cricket farming village in Khon Kaen
3. What makes insect farming economically, socially, and
environmentally sustainable?
Insect Value Chain: Income & Employment
Generation
Insect production, processing,
transport & marketing =
generates income &
employment along the value-
chain
In Thailand: multi-million dollar
sector involving 10,000s of Thai
people
20,000 registered cricket farms
In Laos: not widespread yet
Phrae, Chiang Rai, Chiang Mai, Nan
Khon Kaen, Roi Et,
Udon Thanin, Kalasin
Chanthaburi, Sakaew
Source: Pongsapitch,
2016
Cricket Production
Santor Village, Namphong District, Khon Kaen
Santor Village Profile
Nr. Of Households: 98
Cricket farming households: 65
Production volume: 70,000kg/year
Production value: 7 million THB/year
Main distribution markets: Khon
Kaen, Udorn Thani, Karasin, Chiang
Mai, Lamphun
Processed products: cricket chilli
paste, rice crackers
Source: AOPDC Khon Kaen
Source: Veterinarians without Borders - Canada
Insect Farming: Economic sustainability Low capital input (depending on
scale)
Frequent income within short time
Large/medium-scale: Primary source of
income
Medium-scale: Significant addition source
of income
Small-scale: some additional income
Potential for value-added products
Can contribute to household savings
New economic opportunities: export
to EU as novel food/food with history
of consumption
Source: Veterinarians without Borders Canada
Insect Farming: Economic sustainability ctd. Statement of Thai cricket farmer:
“I have known about cricket farming
for many years, but I only recently
decided to start. It is an additional
occupation to get more income. I
cannot live only from rice farming. I
saw many customers coming to the
village to buy and saw that [my
neighbours] were getting a good
price.”
(Cited: Halloran, Roos & Hanboonsong,
2016)
Source: Halloran, Roos & Hanboonsong, 2016
Insect farming: Social sustainability Culturally accepted: crickets already part of
traditional diets
Inclusive activity, suitable for vulnerable
segments of society:
Poorer people (low capital investment, quick
returns)
Landless people (Low space requirement)
Elderly, women, people with disabilities:
Low time investment/easy work
Allows farmers to spend more time with family, take
care of other duties & livelihoods activities
Suitable for rural & urban areas (depending on scale)
Source: Veterinarians without Borders Canada
Insect farming: Social sustainability ctd.
According to study, cricket farming has
significant social impact on rural
communities in Thailand:
Allows to bring family members home
(worked abroad or in rural areas)
Enables elderly to feel more
independent – not have to rely on
monetary support from children
Enabled households to send children to
university, pay off debt, save money
Source: Veterinarians without Borders Canada
Insect farming: Environmental sustainability 1. Insects have a high feed conversion – for 1kg of
weight gain:
Crickets: 1.7kg feed
Chicken: 2.5kg feed
Pork: 5kg feed
Cattle: 10kg feed
2. 80% of crickets edible & digestible vs. 55% for
chicken/pigs & 40% for cattle
Crickets: 2 times more efficient in converting
feed than chicken, 4 times more than pigs, 12
times more than cattle
Source: Huis et al., 2013
Environmental sustainability ctd.
Insects produce significantly less GHG &
ammonia than conventional livestock
Very low contributions to climate change
& natural resource degradation (e.g.
nitrification/acidification of soil,
pollution of water)
Significantly less water use than conventional
livestock:
No further stress on water resources
Suitable for raising in drought-prone areas
Low trigger for land conversion – only small
space requirements
Protection of wild insect populations
Source: Huis et al., 2013
V. Conclusions Edible insects:
Traditional food & part of culture
A valuable & healthy source of food: rich in protein & micronutrients
Insect farming is an economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable livelihoods activity
Farmed insects = sustainable diets
“Sustainable diets are those diets with low environmental impacts which contribute to food and nutrition security and to healthy life for present and future generations. Sustainable diets are protective and respectful of biodiversity and ecosystems, culturally acceptable, accessible, economically fair and affordable; nutritional adequate, safe and healthy; while optimizing natural and human resources” (FAO 2010).
Thomas Weigel
Email: [email protected]
Phone: +856 20 28 221 097
Thank you for your attention!
Any Questions?
The cricket farming project in Laos given reference to in this
presentation was carried out by Veterinarians without Borders –
Canada in cooperation with partners and with the aid of a grant from
Global Affairs Canada.
Literature
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