Insects as Food for a Growing Population?

WASHINGTON - As the world's population continues to grow, the issue of how to feed so many people will continue to loom ever larger. McClatchy reports that at a recent panel discussion hosted by the Royal Netherlands Embassy, experts floated a potential new food source for a ballooning world population.

The source, of course, is bugs.

From McClatchy:

"Currently, 70 percent of agriculture land is being used for livestock, [Wageningen University Laboratory and Entomology Head Marcel] Dicke said. But eventually, the demand for livestock will be too great for the land available. When that time comes, Dicke said people will have to turn to other, more sustainable sources of food – however icky they may be.

Insects from more than 1,900 species form parts of the diets of roughly 2 billion people worldwide, according to a study by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. The crunchy critters are a good source of protein, iron and calcium."