K A S H R U T . C O M_©

The following article about use of insects as food is from the fusion.net on April 16, 2015.

A new study in the scientific journal PLoS One. by University of California, Davis researchers Mark Lundy and Michael Parrella tested crickets under different feed and rearing conditions. They found that the massive efficiency (and therefore sustainability) crickets are supposed to deliver didn’t quite materialize. “Compared to the industrial-scale production of chickens, crickets fed a poultry feed diet showed little improvement in protein conversion efficiency, a key metric in determining the ecological footprint of grain-based livestock protein,” write Lundy and Parrella. However, the crickets could exist quite nicely on a diet of filtered grocery store waste, and that its environmental footprint was much lower than a corresponding amount of livestock feed.

The following article about use of insects as food is from the Barfblog.com on April 14, 2015.

"To meet the challenge of feeding the world in 2030, the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has ruled in favor of the development of large-scale breeding insects." In response, ANSES - French Agency for Food, Environmental and Occupational Health & Safety presented the risks and dangers and the need for more research. The article mentions that "many insects and arthropods (mites, crustaceans, molluscs, etc.) have common allergens". This may mean that foods containg insects may be required to post allergen notices.