Guest essay by Eric Worrall
Would you eat insects to save the planet? Apparently the answer is yes – you just need to be persuaded the right way.
Would you eat insects to save the planet from global warming?
Jessica Brown
Mon 15 Oct 2018 19.10 AEDTMore people would give up meat for edible bugs if they believed they were tasty and trendy
The thought of rising sea levels and more intense heatwaves are enough to keep you up at night. But while we all know the situation is getting more serious, most of us are preoccupied with work, doctor’s appointments and paying bills – and these immediate, visceral worries win every time.
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Edible insects have been hailed as a solution to both global food shortages and reducing emissions from animal agriculture, but despite the industry’s best efforts, our response when faced with a cockroach is disgust. Even in London edible insects are seen as nothing more than a gimmick, and there are only a handful of restaurants serving them up.
But new research from Switzerland and Germany may have found out how to persuade people to eat insects – and it could have a huge impact on lowering human-led carbon emissions.
Up until now, retailers and restaurants have marketed edible insects as a more sustainable option and a healthy source of protein. But the researchers explain the problem with getting people to switch to environmentally friendly behaviour is that it often requires foregoing immediate pleasure for distant benefits, and edible insects have been wrongly framed in this way.
Before the 180 participants in the study were offered a chocolate truffle filled with mealworms, half of the group were given a flyer saying that eating insects was good for them and the environment, while the other half were told the insects were either delicious or trendy to eat.
About 62% of those given health or environmental incentives chose to eat the truffle, compared with 76% who ate the truffle after being told it would taste good or make them trendy. And the latter group rated the truffle as tastier.
The researchers concluded that we need to switch the message about saving the planet from altruism to pleasure. They back up their argument with previous studies showing that attitudes based on emotions are more malleable than those grounded in rational claims.
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You see they’re not only going to try to persuade you, they’re going to persuade your kids and grandkids, bombard them with messages about [insert empty headed pop star] eating healthy insect snacks to stay thin and get lots of attention from the Paparazzi.
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The insect protein diet is part of Agenda 21, now Agenda 2030. Meat will be only for the ruling elite. Those plebs who can not be persuaded to go vegan, will get insect protein. It’s similar to when the whites ruled South Africa. The black servants were fed mealy meal, a grain based mixture which came in sacks, like dried dog food. The current drive for veganism is also part of the Agenda. Farmland formerly used for meat production will be rewilded, while the displaced humans will be herded into towns to live in tiny high rise apartments. Have you noticed that these apartments are already appearing all over the USA?
The researchers found a way to convince a few extra test subjects to try chocolate-covered worms ONCE. I doubt that this could scale up to a world-wide diet change.
In the 1960s it was the hippies that talked utter rubbish, spewed constant junk ideas and sprouted bankrupt ideologies and alternative ‘religion’ for fools, and wore stuff like flares and paisley shirts, liked communes, took a lot of drugs, and wanted to be veges and drove these weird German ‘combies’ that looked and sounded like total puss.
All that’s happened today is its the feral united nations and green eco-trrist idiots who are doing all this instead.
Forrest Gump for UN Secretary-General! And we’ll get some intelligence and common-sense back into the place.
They’re the same people.
1970: around 17-20 years old.
2018: around 65-68 years old, plenty of time to make it to the top ranks of the UN.
My god! You’re right! lol
Perhaps Al Gore and Michael Mann could lead us all by example.
Why don’t they just eat the grass that cattle eats, instead of wasting it feeding cattle? They can’t, they would starve to death, you need to be a ruminant like cattle to digest grass. Also, if the grass isn’t grazed, it will also die. Cattle eat the grass, the earth is happy, the cattle are happy, we eat the cattle and we are happy. A win/win/win.
Grass? How inhumane. We should eat salt. But, then, why should salt suffer?
Murderers! Insects are people too,…. identifying grasshopper at the moment,……
Honestly. It’s not really so difficult. Just genetically modify the cockroaches so that they grow the same size, shape, and flavor as cows.
Simples. Didn’t need Germany and Switzerland to tell us that, did we?
Many destructive arguments begin with “if everybody just . . .”
Diet is a personal choice. The notion of forcing everyone to do something for some unproven cause is just a justification to bully people.
“…they’re not only going to try to persuade you, they’re going to persuade your kids and grandkids..” If globalism succeeds, they won’t persuade, they’ll decree. And one man stands in the way, Donald Trump.
“But new research from Switzerland and Germany may have found out how to persuade people to eat insects”
Ve haf vays of making you eat insects.
Good thing I hunt. In fact, just took a 3*7 opening day on my property. A bit old, definitely gamey because if that age, but I’ll take the gamey aftertaste before I purposefully eat bugs or feed bugs to my children.
And if these demonic creatures ever outlaw hunting… Well fantastic. No more purchasing tags. I’ll be hunting ten times as often!
Time was bugs in a restaurant was a health code violation not a menu item.
No!
Just … no!