TOPIC
Insects “à la carte”
In 2030 there will be almost 8 billion people in the world. The increasing number of mouths to feed is in conflict with the limited possibilities of expanding cultivation areas. Climate change and water scarcity raise even more worries about food supplies, and the exhaustion of fish stocks in the oceans just aggravates the problem.
Brussels Science Apéro Insects “à la carte” will discuss about how to get out of this crossroad by the generalisation of entomophagy, or consumption of insect food. Bugs have proven to be an effective and cheap way to nourish both cattle and human beings!
But… are our Western stomachs prepared to digest caterpillars and crickets? What is the nutritional value of insects? Why their production is so efficient when compared with traditional livestock? Could they work as a low-calories snack? Are we eating insect proteins without being aware of it?
Get all your questions answered by the duo of renowned entomologists Peter de Batist and Patrick Grootaert and dare to try our free sample of fresh, baked and cooked insect food on the 22nd of January 2014!
Read the full article: Caterpillars, please!
WHEN & WHERE?
The 22nd of January 2014, from 19.00 to 20.30
Avenue de Tervueren, 36 / 1040 Etterbeek
Metro station: Merode
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REGISTER FOR THIS EVENT ON FACEBOOK!
SPEAKER
Patrick Grootaert is the head of the entomology department of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. His specialisation concerns the study of Diptera (flies and mosquitoes) and his experience includes several expeditions in the south-east Asia together with international teams of entomologists and lately he also reached Congo to identify insects in different habitats along the Congo River. He got acquainted with edible insects first in Southeast Asia and now in D. R. of the Congo. Since three years he runs a project on edible caterpillars of the moth family Saturniidae in the region of Kisangani. It is the aim to develop a sustainable collecting and possible farming of these caterpillars that form an important food source in Central Africa.
Peter De Batist Board Member of the Anrwerp Royal Entomological Society, CEO of Ecology-Projects SA
Peter De Batist, President of the Royal Antwerp Society of Entomology (KAVE), is passionate about nature. From the age of 14 he has been searching for any edible item nature could provide. He studied the more than 2500 wild plants in Europe which form the foundation of commercial crops grown today. Early on, he tried in vain to find out the nutritional value of insects and other invertebrates; there simply was no information available.
In 1995 he opened his “Ecoshop”, the first shop in Belgium selling insects for human consumption. In order to understand the reality of living like an insectivore, he spent a year eating according to the Australopithecus’ insectarian diet. His health improved considerably. This is not surprising, since the first report on the matter, published in 2002 by FINKE, showed the nutritional value of insects to be extensive. They are crammed with valuable proteins, vitamins, fatty acids and minerals, but contain almost no carbohydrates. Around the world, there are about 6 million species of insects to be found, forming the most substantial food group available to mankind. Therefore, the cultivation of insects can be a real alternative to intensive animal farming: producing food without damaging the environment.
PHOTOS FROM THE EVENT