Exposed: The Secret Scheme to Slip Bugs into Your Food

Ah, the Cannes Film Festival, where the stars shine bright, the films are avant-garde, and apparently, the meat is on the chopping block. Why? Because, in our quest to save the planet, we must rid ourselves of the sinful indulgence of chicken and steak. Although the carnivorous inclination reigns supreme for the vast majority of humans, things appear to be taking a sharp turn — whether we like it or not.

In the grand opera of gastronomic debate, the rising crescendo of voices advocating for a meat ban echoes with increasing fervor. But amidst the din of this dietary discord, a fundamental question emerges: what shall take the place of our beloved beef, pork, and poultry? For, as any culinary connoisseur will tell you, subsisting solely on fish is a risky venture, fraught with the peril of mercury poisoning and the looming threat of oceanic depletion.

And so, we find ourselves peering into the culinary abyss, searching for sustenance in strange, largely uncharted territories. Enter stage left: bugs. Yes, insects, those diminutive denizens of the underbrush, may soon find themselves thrust into the spotlight as the unlikely heroes (or villains) of the culinary world.

Forget your juicy sirloins and succulent ribs, we could soon be living in  a world where the pinnacle of haute cuisine is a plate of grasshopper tartare, garnished with a sprinkle of mealworms. 

However, before you start sprinkling crickets on your salad, it’s time to take a closer look at the dark side of this supposedly eco-friendly protein.

Proponents of bug-based diets tout them as a sustainable alternative to traditional livestock farming, which undeniably poses significant environmental challenges. Cattle ranching, for instance, is a leading cause of deforestation, water pollution, and greenhouse gas emission, they cry. In contrast, insects require far less land, water, and feed to produce the same amount of protein. The truth, however, is a little more complex.

While bugs may be more efficient to farm, the environmental impact of mass insect cultivation is far from negligible. Just like any other industrial agricultural operation, insect farms require vast amounts of resources. They consume water, energy, and land, albeit in smaller quantities than their bovine counterparts. Moreover, the production of insect feed often relies on monocropping practices, leading to habitat destruction and biodiversity loss.

But it doesn’t end there. The logistics of insect farming also raise concerns. Many operations rely on intensive indoor farming methods, which consume substantial amounts of energy for heating, lighting, and ventilation. Insect farms can also generate significant waste, particularly when it comes to disposing of dead or uneaten insects. This waste can leach into soil and waterways, further contributing to environmental degradation.

And let’s not forget about the ethical implications of mass insect farming. While insects may not evoke the same emotional response as cuddly mammals, they are living creatures nonetheless. The conditions in which they are raised—crowded, confined spaces devoid of natural behaviors—raise serious welfare concerns. Is swapping one form of industrialized animal agriculture for another truly progress?

It’s not.

Moreover, the average person does not want to eat bugs. 

A recent study, presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in the scenic backdrop of Venice, Italy, delved into the minds of hundreds of people across the UK, asking them how they felt about munching on insects? In short, not good.

A mere 13 percent of the surveyed lot showed a willingness to embrace insect cuisine on a regular basis. But, it seems, even if you don’t want to eat bugs, savvy researcher will find ways to smuggle them into your diet. 

It seems the key to unlocking our collective aversion to insects lies not in chomping down on crunchy crickets like contestants on I’m a Celebrity, but rather in sneakily blending insects into our everyday processed foods. Soon, we should expect to see bread, pasta, and maybe even in morning cereals made from insect flours.

By grinding these tiny arthropods into powdery oblivion and slipping them into our beloved staples, scientists believe they can bypass the inevitable gag reflex that comes with munching on a whole insect. It’s a devious yet undeniably clever strategy to ease us into the brave new world of entomophagy, the practice of eating insects,

So, the next time you’re mindlessly tossing flour-based products into your shopping cart, pause for a moment and examine those ingredients carefully. Very carefully.

Behind the curtains of our collective consciousness, a transformation is underway, one that could redefine our relationship with what’s on our plates. The slow but steady phasing out of meat is already underway. This isn’t unhinged hyperbole; it’s a tangible reality, quietly gaining momentum as an increasing number of governments adopt narratives of climate doomism.