As a typical gourmet, I’ve studied the food culture around the world, so I think I should totally share some of my thoughts.
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The unexpected food trend (international tourism insights):
Australians are starting to jump on the edible insects’ trend, but is it really the solution to all our environmental and nutrition needs?
For Louise Morris, a Tasmanian insect farmer who co-founded the Insect Protein Association of Australia, it’s crucial to grow the industry without overhype.
“We’re very much the new kids on the block. We have to do a lot of explaining of the whats, whys and hows,” she told Helen Shield on ABC Radio Hobart.
“It ticks a bunch of boxes, but we’re making sure we’re not ticking the overhyped box.” Ms. Morris said some of the claims made about farming insects could mislead consumers.
“Will it save the Earth? If we’re just repeating industrial food practices, probably not,” she said.
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Food sustainability:
Ms. Morris said while insects can play an important role in food sustainability, there is little environmental benefit if they are produced using intensive farming practices.
“What they eat impacts so much on how much greenhouse gas impact, how much water went into that,” she said. “If you’re essentially feeding them chicken food … you’re not really making a huge impact [on the environment].”
Ms. Morris farms crickets, mealworms and Queensland wood cockroaches in northern Tasmania, using vegetable waste from local farms to grow her insects. She said feeding the insects different vegetables can affect the taste of the final product for humans.
“We’re really focused with a few restaurants who are wanting to work with our insects … on bespoke insect flavors,” she said.
“It’s creating a whole new income stream, employment opportunities and a product which really is ‘brand Tasmania’.”
About 80 per cent of the world’s population already eats insects as part of their regular diet, but in Australia farmers are still faced with the “ick factor”.
However, Ms. Morris is confident Tasmanians will come around to the idea quickly.
“People are up for anything down here,” she said. “Not that long ago the thought of eating wallaby in Tasmania was ‘hell no’. “Even sea urchin … two years ago no-one would go for urchins at all. Now it’s a featured dish.”
Ms. Morris aims to have her insects on dinner plates in 2018 and while she believed insects can play an important role in our food chain, she is wary of “superfood” claims.
“Like any animal, each insect is different and how you grow them is really important in what sort of value they have for your body,” she said.
“Travelling the world has expanded my outlook.”
