According to TV Chef Stefan Gates Eating Insects can Save World

Eating worms, ants and locusts could be the obvious answer to the soaring food prices, according to TV chef Stefan Gates.

The UN estimates we will hit nine billion people by 2050 - and there is already a global food crisis, Gates said.

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"Insects are extraordinary. It takes around 1.2 kilos of plant matter to produce a kilo of edible insects, which is extraordinarily low," the Mirror quoted him as saying.

They farm easily, reproduce quickly, leave a small amount of waste and love being bundled together for warmth, he added.

On the other hand it takes up to 50 kilos of grain and plant matter to produce one kilo of usable beef protein. And the water cows need is vast, he noted.

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"They also produce about 450 litres of gas a day. A lot of it is methane which damages the environment," he said.

Stefan has travelled the world to study what people eat and has found that insects are a common choice.

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For his new BBC show - Can Eating Insects Save the World? - he visited countries such as Thailand and Cambodia, and saw large grasshopper farms and children eating ants for lunch.

Stefan believes that in a bid to solve the food crisis, insect production will become much more common in 20 years.

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He said that in the near future, mealworms would be ground up for burgers or mince and given a marketing makeover to make them more appealing to shoppers. The worms will also be cheaper than the meat.

Stefan added that it will be the food of the future but it won't be called mealworm it will be called an Eco-burger or Save the Planet nuggets.

Source-ANI