London, Sept 5 (ANI): The European Union has spent 2.5 million pounds to encourage people to eat insects to help save the environment and solve the food shortage crisis.
According to the Sunday Times, EU thinks the insects should start appearing on menus after experts in Brussels recommended that bugs could be a vital source of nutrition.
The UK Food Standards Agency has also been ordered to investigate and potentially look at ways to make entomophagy - the eating of insects, more popular.
According to one study, grasshoppers offer 20 percent protein with a tiny six per cent fat, compared to lean ground beef's 24 percent protein and 18 percent fat.
The research institute that offers the best proposal for investigating "insects as novel sources of proteins" will be awarded the money by the commission - the institute will have to research quality and safety, potential allergies and what sort of proteins the insects offer.
"By 2020 you will be buying insects in supermarkets," the Daily Mail quoted Professor Marcel Dicke, who is applying for the grant as saying.
"We have already seen the introduction of eggplants, sushi, things people never ate here. I think it will start with ground-up insects in sauces and burgers," he stated.
Traditional sources of protein such as beef are not sufficient to feed the world's rapidly growing population and re costly to feed as their prices are constantly rising.
In contrast, insects emit fewer greenhouse gases than cattle, require less feed and are considered to be more environment friendly. (ANI)
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