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UN report: Eat more insects to fight world hunger

People should get over their disgust and eat beetles, caterpillars and wasps.

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A hawker sells scorpions, star fish, sea horses and silkworm cocoons for adventurous customers to eat at a market stall in Beijing on January 8, 2012. (MARK RALSTON/AFP/Getty Images)

Eating more insects and putting them on restaurant menus could help fight world hunger, according to a new United Nations report.

The 200-page report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization notes that more than 2 billion people, a third of the world's population, already supplement their diet with insects because they are not only nutritious but delicious.

However it admits that "consumer disgust" remains a large obstacle in many Western countries, BBC reported.

Speaking at a press conference in Rome, FAO forest economics director Eva Mueller said, "Insects are abundant and they are a valuable source of protein and minerals."

She urged the food industry to help in "raising the status of insects" by including them in recipes and including them on restaurant menus.


The UN report noted that insects are high in protein and minerals.


The report also noted that insects contain "good fats," and many are rich in calcium, copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, selenium and zinc, as well as being a source of fiber.

It said insects were a healthy, nutritious alternative to mainstream staples such as beef, chicken, and pork, CBS News reported.