Do you fancy edible insects on your toast? The Australian national science agency CSIRO researches the edible insect industry in Australia. Photo: Dr. Bryan Lessard.
How about adding witchetty maggots to your toast or crunching your kitchen with a crunch? Even your trend-setting smoothie bowl could get more Instagram worthy with a handful of bogong moths.
According to CSIRO, the multi-billion dollar edible insect industry around the world could have a leg up here in the Canberra area while Australia flees by making nutritious, sustainable and ethical products in support of global food security.
Canberra-based entomologist Dr. CSIRO’s Bryan Lessard co-authored a report entitled “Edible Insects: A Roadmap for Strategic Growth for an Emerging Industry in Australia,” which includes a comprehensive plan for the emerging industry that is heavily focused on more than 60 native insect species traditionally consumed by First Nations peoples in Australia.
Dr. Lessard said the report emphasized the importance of supporting and promoting businesses led by First Nations.
“The roadmap draws on the expertise of Australian and international scientists, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islanders, insect farmers, and food industry leaders and chefs to identify the challenges and opportunities of one of the world’s richest sources of protein and other micronutrients,” he said.
“Australia has a wide variety of native insects. Working with First Nations companies, many species have the potential to be sustainably harvested or grown on low impact farms and converted into new and delicious Australian food for us and our pets. “
Dr. Lessard also said commercial insect farming has a small ecological footprint and uses minimal forage, water, energy and land resources. These are factors that are becoming increasingly important for people who choose healthy and ethically conscious foods.
At least 16 species of insects are eaten by the First Nations peoples of Australia, including the legendary warlock. Photo: Tobias Titz.
Co-funded by CSIRO and the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade through the Council for Relations between Australia and Latin America, the roadmap provides a framework for First Nations, startups, insect companies, researchers, policymakers and community members to work within Australia industry are interested in working with the EU.
The CSIRO researcher and co-author of the report, Dr. Rocio Ponce Reyes said the global edible insect industry is growing rapidly.
“The global edible insect market is expected to reach A $ 1.4 billion by 2023,” she said. “Europe and the US lead the western world market with more than 400 edible insect-related companies.
“Insects have high-quality nutritional profiles and are rich in protein, omega-3 fatty acids, iron, zinc, folic acid and the vitamins B12, C and E.
“They also complement our existing diets because they are healthy, environmentally friendly, and high in alternative proteins.”
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More than 2,100 species of insects are currently eaten by two billion people from 130 countries, including famous Australian species such as witch (or Viyuti) maggots, bogong moths, honeydew ants and green tree ants.
The roadmap also identifies challenges to be addressed, including scalability, consumer appetites, and research opportunities, and offers options to address them, including new products, agriculture innovations, and collaboration.
CSIRO research is also exploring alternative sources of protein needed to meet the needs of a world population that is estimated to reach 9.7 billion people by 2050.
Professor Michelle Colgrave said the focus of development on the Future Protein Mission is to help Australia enter high-growth global protein markets.
“Alternative protein industries can play an important role in Australia and contribute to regional and national prosperity,” she said. “At CSIRO, we explore vegetable protein, traditional protein sources and emerging protein industries, including edible insects.”
The roadmap is available in English and Spanish and enables connections between Australia and Latin America such as Mexico, where insect eating is more common. It provides guidance to Spanish-speaking countries on how to develop their local industries.
Original article by Michael Weaver on The RiotACT.
