With the world population expected to grow to 10 billion people by 2050 , the demand for food and protein is expected to increase significantly. A new generation of chefs, farmers, sustainable eaters and adventure eaters is embracing entomophagy - the practice of consuming insects.
According to scientific journals, insects are highly efficient in conversion of feed into edible material, and have a much reduced '' environmental footprint'' than other animals used for food. They also have a high content of protein as well as vitamins and minerals . In the tropics, warm climatic conditions have aided the breeding of insects that have destroyed the livelihoods of many who are oblivious to the money making potential of these buzzing intruders.
The edible insect market which is valued at $ 100 million and is forecast to grow to more than $1.5 billion in 2050 according to a Singapore based emerging trends research firm Arcluster. 2 billion people in 80 percent of the worlds countries consume insects as part of their daily diet and this could be a huge market to tap into.
Some of these edible insect meals includes cricket powder-based protein shakes and cookies, mealworm and fruit fly larvae-based foods which have become a gold mine for risk taking entrepreneurs who can move quickly to capitalize this market opportunity.
