The World Economic Forum (WEF), an international organization composed of the world’s rich, released a promotional video on Jan. 21 hailing insects as the future of Western diets. The video noted that insects are more sustainable to produce than other protein sources.
“Insects are forecast to make up more of our protein consumption in the future,” the clip claimed.
The video also stated that insects are currently used for pet foods while around two billion people in Asia and Africa regularly munch on bugs such as scorpions.
But Europeans have not yet embraced these exotic foods. To encourage insect consumption, the WEF launched a food competition through its digital-crowd engagement platform, UpLink. The competition calls for “innovative, diverse sources of protein that will satisfy tomorrow’s consumers.” The organization stressed the importance of a green protein source as the global population is forecast to hit nearly 10 billion.