Government-backed drive to get the public to eat more BUGS in meat alternative

Mince created from crickets harvested in Cambridge and pet food made of chicken cultivated from egg cells are two of the products recently launched by British-based companies which it is hoped will become more widely available.

It comes amid the environmental impact of animal agriculture, which accounts for around 80 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions from food production globally.

Professor Guy Poppy from UK Research and Innovation, a Government quango that is providing funding to the centre, said: "Culturally in the UK, why is it that people might be happy to eat a prawn but not an insect? Understanding why that is the case would be helpful.

"Then it’s about understanding what levels of processing would be required to turn that insect into something people are willing to eat.

"Is it that it needs to be ground into a powder, and that becomes a protein-based cookie, maybe with reduced fat and sugar, or is there some intermediate in which the insect is turned into something that looks like a burger?"

Professor Anwesha Sarkar, from the University of Leeds, where the research centre will be based, said: "We want to make alternative proteins mainstream for a more sustainable planet."

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The United Nations has deemed bugs a sustainable source of protein to feed a global population estimated to swell to 9.7 billion by 2050 and global food security issues due to extreme weather and conflicts have also increased the interest in the high-quality, economical nutrition that bugs provide.

However, the growing alternative meat industry has prompted a backlash from farmers, who argue it undermines the agricultural sector.

The Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, a leading industry body, recently launched its own Let’s Eat Balanced campaign, which encourages people to consume beef, lamb and dairy.

In Italy, the Government has banned lab-grown meat, while France has ruled that plant-based foods cannot share a name with their meat inspiration.

Professor Louise Dye Institute for Sustainable Food (ISF) at the University of Sheffield said: "We know that consumers won’t buy food that they don’t find appealing or that’s more expensive than their traditional choices.

"We also have to be sure that any new alternative proteins are safe and healthy.”