Edible forest insects

News

Interview: The case for bugs, Bloomberg TV 30 May 2013 FAO consultant, Afton Halloran, describes the use of insects as food in developing nations to provide nutrients missed in local food supplies and how the practice is spreading globally. She speaks on Bloomberg Television's "The Pulse." [more]

New publication: Edible insects - Future prospects for food and feed security 13 May 2013 Launched during the International Conference on Forests for Food Security and Nutrition, this publication describes the contribution of insects to food security. It shows the many traditional and potential new uses of insects for direct human consumption and the opportunities for and constraints to farming them for food and feed. It examines the body of research on issues such as insect nutrition and food safety, the use of insects as animal feed, and the processing and preservation of insects and their products. [more]

Information guide: The contribution of insects to food security, livelihoods and the environment 12 May 2013 Since 2003, FAO has been working on edible insects in many countries worldwide. Click to see a new information guide on insects and food security. [more]

FAO and edible insects

Since 2003, FAO has been working on topics pertaining to edible insects in many countries worldwide. FAO ’s contributions cover the following thematic areas:

• the generation and sharing of knowledge through publications, expert meetings and a web portal on edible insects;
• awareness-raising on the role of insects through media collaboration (e.g. newspapers, magazines and TV);
• the provision of support to member countries through field projects (e.g. the Laos Technical Cooperation Project);
• networking and multidisciplinary interactions (e.g. stakeholders working with nutrition, feed and legislation-related issues) with various sectors within and outside FAO .

FAO is collaborating closely with the Wageningen University. The Kingdom of the Netherlands has sponsored several projects of Wageningen and FAO. In order to achieve all future plans , FAO is constantly looking for extra collaborations and sponsors.