In a time of great environmental trouble where the population is ever increasing and viable food and energy sources are depleting, we believe that people should be educated on the great environmental, nutritional and economic benefits of eating insects. We want to eliminate the inherent prejudice against eating insects. It is currently seen as a novelty to eat insects in western culture; however, we believe that they could hold the key to the UK’s eating habits becoming more sustainable.

A recent UN report (FAO Forestry paper 171) highlighted a handful of the reasons for promoting eating insects. The reasons can be split into three sections. 1. Health. 2. Environmental. 3. Livelihoods.

Firstly, some of the health benefits are:
- Many insects are rich in protein and good fats, as well as being high in calcium, iron and zinc.
- Insects are already a keystone in many international diets, which shows that they are effective in providing the right nutrition.

Secondly, there are many environmental benefits:
-Insects emit considerably fewer greenhouse gases than most livestock. They also emit a far lower amount of Ammonia than livestock.  For example, mealworms produce between up to a 100 times less greenhouse gases per kg than pig.
- The rearing of insects does not necessarily have to be a land based activity. This, therefore, means that valuable green space does not need to be destroyed.
- Because insects are cold-blooded, insects are very efficient at converting feed into valuable protein. For example, crickets require 12 times less feed than cows to produce the same amount of protein.

Finally, there are also social and economic benefits to eating insects:
- Insect rearing does not require a high level of technology and therefore does not require high capital costs. This therefore means that the ability to rear insects is open to all.
- The insects can be reared in both rural and urban areas.

We want the Government to implement two things. Firstly, we want the Government to include Entomophagy in the school curriculum. Secondly, we want the government to offer support to businesses that want to sell insects to UK consumers.

Thanks for reading.