Kids to be offered insects in schools to test eco-friendly meat substitutes

According to the Daily Mail, academics from Cardiff University and the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) are considering feeding house crickets and mealworms to primary school pupils from four schools in Wales.

While chicken nuggets and French fries are common fare at school canteens, these researchers intend to serve something new to children aged five to eleven.

Experts want to encourage parents to offer their children pasta sauce made with insects and plant proteins instead of meat.

The project’s leaders will also conduct a survey of schools to learn about primary school students’ opinions toward environmental issues.

They hope to learn how to teach younger people about the nutritional and environmental benefits of eating insects through the study.

2,000 insects have been identified as edible around the world. Black army fly larvae, mealworms, crickets, and locusts, for example, are abundant in protein.

Experts believe they are viable alternatives to traditional protein sources such as beef.

Scientists, according to the Daily Mail, seek to lessen the world’s carbon impact. The production and consumption of meat-based products results in the release of 64 million tonnes of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere.

When insects are employed as a protein source, it reduces the amount of feed, land, and water needed, resulting in less greenhouse gas emissions.

Initially, they want to offer meals including crickets and mealworms as part of this experiment.

“Young people’s voices are becoming increasingly prominent in discussions on environmental futures and animal welfare,’ said Dr Chrisopher Bear from Cardiff University’s

“However, little study has been done on how these beliefs translate into children’s food consumption attitudes and practises,” he noted.

“To be very clear, we are not trying to persuade children to convert from meat to edible insects,” he added.

“While focusing on Wales, the findings and resources will speak to similar challenges and changes elsewhere,” said Dr. Verity Jones of UWE Bristol.

In many parts of Asia, Latin America, and Africa, eating bugs is already commonplace.

House crickets are now being tested for human consumption by the Food Standards Agency (FSA).