- The fact that such global food production giants are turning to insects illustrates the lengths they will go to find alternative sources of protein that are profitable and sustainable as animal feed or additives to human food. Bugs are just one many alternatives being studied or developed by major agricultural firms. Others include peas, canola, algae, and bacterial proteins.
Global population growth and an expanding middle class have raised per capita meat consumption by 50 percent over the past four decades, fueling fears of a protein pinch. Traditional sources of the key micronutrient are growing increasingly unreliable amid a changing global climate and worries about the environmental impacts of row-crop farms and commercial fishing.
Indeed, which is why I usually don't share articles about the subject when I see it. The interesting thing about this one though, is that it talks about using insects as supplemental feed for fish and poultry farms to keep costs down. Which, I've also seen before but nowhere near as often because lets face it "Fish farms considering turning to insect based feeds" isn't anywhere near as sensational as "Replacing a nice juicy steak with juicy mealworms? You won't believe what might be on your next dinner plate!"