Insects are an ecological and tasty alternative to meat, advises scientist

London, July 19 (ANI): A Dutch scientist has advised people to consume insects as a replacement for beef, after he learned that around 70 percent of the world's agricultural land is being used for meat production.

Entomologist Marcel Dicke while speaking at the TEDGlobal 2010 conference in Oxford said that insects are an ecologically sound and tasty alternative to meat.

Dicke, a professor at the Netherlands' Wageningen University, said that while 10kg of feed generates just 1kg of beef, 3kg of pork or 5kg of chicken, the same amount could sustain 9kg of locusts, reports The Independent.

He also said that insects produce substantially less waste than mammals and have nutritional benefits. They are also rich in protein, essential amino acids, iron and vitamins.

According to Dicke the average person eats up to 500g of the insects each year, through processed vegetable-based products and foods dyed with insect derivatives.

Around 1,400 different species of insect are eaten around the world. (ANI)