Are insects the future of food? | Megan Miller | TEDxManhattan

[@Del4Mar]

All you guys that argue veganese is the better way to go, you forget all about the protein that you will have from this flour.. I think it's a great idea, and although not replacing meat, it might absolutely decrease the need for such high amounts of it

[@moonglow193]

Megan you are right on! The previous comments from many here show an absolute lack of understanding of how many people live on very little every day, often a bowl or two of rice. Protein, calcium, niacin, and other nutrients found in crickets is lacking throughout the world resulting in all kinds of health problems keeping people from living a full life. 100 grams of crickets contain: 121 calories, 12.9 grams of protein, 5.5 g. of fat, 5.1 g. of carbohydrates, 75.8 mg. calcium, 185.3 mg. of phosphorous, 9.5 mg. of iron, 0.36 mg. of thiamin, 1.09 mg. of riboflavin, and 3.10 mg. of niacin.

 We are in dire need for this kind of food. And for all of you advocating for growing fruits and vegetables, Absolutely!! That must continue. But guess what, crickets can live off the agricultural by products. Win-Win! Reclaiming land from animal farming, feeding people across the world in a more sustainable manner, and improving the lives of billions is what this kind of thinking does. For those of you advocating not taking a life, even a crickets, that is your own personal spiritual belief you proclaim all must follow while eating your Whole Foods organically grown salad that costs more than many people in this world make in a week. It has no place in this discussion any more than someone trying to convert you to Christianity or Islam. There are starving people across the globe that would be thankful for this kind of food. I for one am going to go online and get some right now! Thank you Megan!!

[@jaaaaannnnee]

Ok I am all for sustainability, and would even try this cricket flour... but BEES? We need them desperately and their population is suffering. Three-bee salad does not equal sustainable :(

[@LizTiddington]

agreed. I found that really distasteful. For god's sake don't eat the things which are essential for pollination!

[@MuadDib042]

colony collapse is certainly a concern, but there are things you might be unaware of. Colony collapse does not affect all bees and there are plenty of species that are healthy as ever. In fact, the concern about colony collapse is not that it is destroying all the bees, but that we don't understand it so we are worried if it could. Also, the number of bees that people produce in agriculture is still massive. In interesting parallel was when I visited a turtle farm. The farm was build to introduce endangered sea turtles back into the wild. However, they produced more turtles than would be safe to reintroduce (due to overcrowding, disease, competition, etc). So although in the wild the turtles were endangered, on the farm they had a glut. Because of this, they turned some of the excess turtles into food. Its the only place you can legally eat the turtles.

[@UltimateYang]

If you look deeply into hers eyes, you will surely gets goosebumps!

[@tobito2013]

Psst, mealworms have a nutty taste. If you're allergic to nuts, fried mealworms are a good substitution. Have a nice day :)

[@MuadDib042]

Lets assume that there isn't a food crisis, or that there are plenty of alternatives to deal with it. How is that an excuse to not adopt a beneficial alternative? Making things more efficient, healthy, environmentally friendly, sustainable, affordable, accessible, etc, etc, etc doesn't have to be about solving some impending crisis. Its about doing what is right and better! If you were in pain, you might like your aspirin. Perhaps someone shows you a medicine that is better in every possible way, would you just say that its unnecessary? A cleaner burning fuel? A safer and more affordable car? Crops that need less pesticides, water, and fertilizer? What is so wrong with making things better? I do think that there are plenty of problems with how food is produced and doled out, but even if there wasn't, making food better (in literally every way possible) shouldn't be something you need to ask "why" for.

[@VictorFursov]

Thank you for the story! Good luck!

[@VictorFursov]

Hello guys! I have a question. These TED-X meetings are managed only for members of TED-X and without tickets? Or these re meeting with special admisssion tickets?

[@LuckyLlamaLiam]

The ride never ends.

[@ciaobella131]

It's my personal opinion that one day, eating an organic plant based diet is the way for humanity to go. I think we're getting there slowly, but a shift like that isn't going to happen overnight. For so many people today who eat meat/carb/dairy based diets, transitioning to vegan or even vegetarian would be very difficult. Using insect protein could be a good middle stepping stone to help people shift away from their animal meat based diets and towards something more ideal. Gotta admit the bee salad made me a little sad.... but I'd totally eat a cricket.

[@WenRolland]

Les insectes font partie des solutions pour le futur de notre alimentation. J'ai gouté des fourmis, des pucerons (ne pas manger ceux qui poussent sur l'asclépiade, poison!) et quelques sauterelles. Mon idée a toujours été de faire des farines d'insectes pour faciliter l'intégration dans notre alimentation, exactement ce que fait Megan Miller!

[@monniekay]

Global food crisis or not, I think insect powder as a food supplement is a great idea.

[@DzinkyDzink]

1:95 the same old song we sang back in the middle of 20th century цhen we upped from 2b to 4b+. Technology provided, mass starvation was averted. What is a +28% gain in defecit compared to a +100%?

[@Palaecro]

I take Black Ant powder as a supplement, it's pretty nutritious stuff! Not sure I can sustain myself on it but bugs as an addition to the diet makes a great deal of sense. I don't understand why this concept is receiving so much hate? If it can help reduce the factory farming atrocities occurring then it's a good thing!

[@RoyalHippieGangstercom]

At 3:40..."I can't think..." You said it. There are people who grow Spirulina using their own morning urine as the primary ongoing input...on land...and in space stations. (Imagine how little 'space needed to 'produce protein.) I get it. You've made your decision. You're attempting to garnish attention for your product. It's a valiant effort. Aimed in the right direction. But you've ignored better sources of protein.

[@joaolacerda2513]

excelent! i'm a nutritionist, and i know she is a seller, but never mind her intentions ! she's absolutely right!

[@thisisthewronghat2706]

this is brilliant! if you are collecting them yourself from the wild (like me) it's very important to roast them before consumption because it's likely they might contain parasites. but don't let them stop you from leading a cleaner healthier life!

[@astridmccormick2190]

I would buy the flour, too.

[@sarahbear892]

If people stopped eating meat and started eating insects, we would eventually have a whole slew of new problems to replace the ones we already have. How about we simply revert back to when animal products were a luxury and our meals revolved around fruits and veggies? Now that's sustainable agriculture.

[@deafheart23]

Because, in a world of idiots, that's too simple and makes too much sense. People would actually entertain the idea of eating bugs over the more logical idea of eating fruits and vegetables, simply to sound more innovative. I've officially lost all hope for humanity. -_-

[@sarahbear892]

deafheart23 No, keep hoping!

[@DavidAlsh]

Eating fruits and veg is also host to it's own set of issues. Although, yes, it sounds like the obvious answer. Plants are very expensive to produce, think about the amount of water, fertilizers, land, petrol (required by the machines to work the fields). They are not as expensive as livestock, but neither livestock, nor veggies come close to how efficient bugs are in terms of the volume of production per energy required. This is a bad ass idea, with research that supports it's merits. I'm totally open to eating cricket brownies. Woop

[@sarahbear892]

David Alsh Fruit and veg is quite clearly our intended food. They're direct sources of vitamins and minerals. I'm not talking GMO shit, I'm referring to ethically cultivated plants using a rotating agricultural technique. It is, in fact, the obvious answer. We just use way too much of our already existing farm land to grow food for the very animals we breed to kill, rape, and exploit. Great job, humans.

[@BearWindAppleyard]

+Musical Pears If we eat insects then other meats/animal products would be able to be even more of a luxury and rarity, because you've got most of the proteins covered, and possibly also things like B12, through the insects already.

[@manuelmoraleda9684]

I'm pleasantly surprised to see you and not a stereotypical cricket eating Thai convey this message. I beg you to partner with Thai restaurant and have them include your baked goods in their menu. You are part of history ! Carpe diem !

[@crimsenphoenix]

Hakuna Matahtah!

[@bobfore3839]

If insects are so easy to grow and use so little resources to grow, why the heck does cricket flour cost so much? If everything I've heard about reduced cost and reduced land requirements and reduced feed requirements is true, shouldn't the cost for the cricket flour be cheaper than say wheat flour? She said that meat would become a luxury item, check cricket flour on line, it already is a luxury item. I wonder what you have to pay for a plate of 3 Bee Salad? Yes, it will all come down to dollars.

[@Longboard914]

+Bob Fore there is not enough supply yet. It isn't hard to produce them, its just not common yet

[@chuckinchina6926]

Insects are well established in Asian cuisine, people shouldn't shy away from it. When it comes down to it, both lobster and crab are arthropods, so think of it that way. I have ate scorpion before, and can confirm that it was palatable, and maybe even tasty when cooked right. I feel like some barbecued crickets would be good.

[@grime2.085]

Good let’s force all the Asians to eat the insects they are the ones having all the kids

[@ChopperSakura]

This is great.

[@DanaLorenArt]

I agree 100 percent with the previous comment.

[@Sandwichking-hikes]

If someone wants to eat insects that’s up to them but I don’t want that pushed on me

[@Reticuli]

The problem is not a lack of food. The problem is a lack of poor people's ability to buy it and the super rich, especially in countries like Saudi Arabia, leaching off the world economic system (especially the oil system), wasting ungodly amounts of money and resources on themselves and their spoiled, fat-assed vacationing citizens. The Open Fuel Standard Act, and especially methanol, would stop that, empower the poor, de-finance radical Islam, and give us a proper baseline for the future. Fringe, hard-to-implement and distasteful ideas like cricket cookies, rationing, or population control shouldn't even be entering the discussion right now. Not surprisingly, you will not hear this in any establishment-vetted TED discussions.

[@Reticuli]

The problem is the majority of car companies are actually partially owned by Kuwait, the Saudis, the Emirates, and a bunch of Wall Street investors with big stakes in oil. Our cars don't even have to run on gas anymore. Most new engines are capable of being run off any alcohol, including methanol, in any concentration. I'm not just talking E10, here. Guess why your fuel injection system's firmware and fuel seals in your car are intentionally not compatible with this?

[@Reticuli]

Blaming individual buying decisions makes about as much sense as people not eating red meat and only riding a bicycle in Portland thinking they're going to single-handedly prevent global climate change. This is not self-righteousness but about practical solutions that can be implemented in society by properly using government. Airbags. Catalectic converters. IEEE standards. Railroad gauge. I'm not talking about banning the use of oil, but forcing oil to compete with alcohols in the world economy by breaking these cartels and disrupting the conflicts-of-interests, reaching critical mass through the use of demand-side mandates versus supply-side subsidies or limiting choice options. And by the way, everything that is made out of oil can now be made out of alcohols. A guy won a Nobel Prize for figuring out the chemical path for it. Will oil still be used a hundred years from now? Sure. But it does not need to be the dominant vehicle fuel, nor do we need to be beholden to corrupt foreign regimes.

[@toaonua523]

The only thing that would happen if we 'regain' 30% of earth surface, would be real estate development.

[@yohunahmourad4441]

when she took gluten free to a whole new level

[@kimsangguk3967]

Yes ! I agree on your opinions.

[@gruffgruff92]

bugs are more expensive than meat as of now. thats the thing about this kind of economy we have, why would i start buying this "weird" new food, that, sure, on paper is a more efficient kind of food that costs way less to produce than the by western standards convential food, when it still is more costly for the consumer?

[@thisisthewronghat2706]

you could harvest them yourself from the wild. it is certainly more fun and cheaper than going to the shops to your your chicken

[@irony373]

Price controls. Our government does it all the time. Also when the pricing of traditional meat goes up because of the climate crisis in the next 20-30, we're gonna have start experimenting with different proteins. Meat production will eventually be intenable for the upcoming 10 billion people in the future.

[@gundorf2063]

It shocks me how close minded these comments are on eating insects. Considering how common said practice was here in Asian countries, I'd say there's nothing wrong about eating insects.

[@kevinpatrickcarey3741]

ive seen my cat eat spiders once i never thought hey save me some

[@cjstory2548]

whenever I hear people discuss menu options as an authentic political topic, I find myself overwhelmed with an irrational need to scream "At 7 billion strong,human appetite is second only to the sun as a driver of earth climate, which is always in a state of flux, wherein change is constant.

[@crimsenphoenix]

this video bugs me.

[@bannor216]

"the protein conversion rate of crickets at 35% is only slightly better than chickens." -TIME magazine. So not as big a boon to the planet as being described here.

[@thisisthewronghat2706]

still better than chicken and way more cleaner to harvest too

[@justinlau3960]

Wait a minute, this shrimp and lobster look pretty similar to a…OMG!!!

[@YOSUP315]

I guess eating ground up grass seeds didn't sound too appealing before the agricultural revolution.

[@jdent2612]

Wow! #Food #Future #Crickets Who would have thought someone dieting on #insects could be that hot!

[@charleslaferriere6475]

Love the idea, love the concepts. Don't like her vibe, nor the reasons why it's being done.

[@marsperunko7515]

*guys crickets are gunna save the world just accept it*

[@jihoonkim9564]

ok I will try it because you like that

[@carolinadelaossa7383]

Export that flour to Latin America and I would buy it

[@baasmans]

crickets are not bugs. otherwise, yes.

[@antonioqb]

She is a very good speaker, it all sounds good but looking at her products on her website it was immediately apparent that it's just another trendy overpriced fad food brand. And the snacks don't have nearly as much protein in them as they could have. Insects can be a cheap, environmentally friendly and healthy option for people consider but not marketed in this way. If you want some cheap reasonably healthy (not non fat) protein then stick with guying a carton of eggs. Very fairly priced and way more protein for your money.

[@DavidAlsh]

Home grown food has higher overheads than mass manufactured foods. The idea is sound, maybe here approach is very "apple-y". That doesn't mean the whole idea should be tossed out. There is nothing stopping you from making your own.

[@antonioqb]

David Alsh No the whole idea shouldn't be tossed out. You are right by advising you make your own because then it will be cost affective for the consumer just as well as the manufacturer. The unnecessarily high margins put on insects products in the western world really won't help people adopt a new way of eating.

[@DavidAlsh]

antonioqb totally agree. It doesn't help the cause because it goes against everything the eating crickets idea stands for.

[@Casperski1312]

This would be wonderful if she wasnt selling her flour at a dollar an ounce. That's not my idea of sustainable. She talks a big game about helping the future of our planet and feeding the hungry, but most Americans couldnt afford this, let alone the less fortunate in third world places.

[@RareFoodsMarket]

I'm down.

[@Yoyo-tx3ue]

I will not eat the bugs

[@whichlens435]

The other good news is : THEY HAVE DECIDED NOT BE 8 BILLIONS in 20 years, When you put things down this is the first problem ahead : and it's only wether u can decided or not.

[@TheebX92]

I WILL NOT EAT BUGS

[@CulCritDecrees]

Was with you until "thought leaders".

[@1MODRO]

Very worried about the population of this earth, as if though, we have already fed 100% of the people on the planet! You eat cricket I'll stick to meat and vegetables!

[@joeyocom5087]

certain locust are Kosher

[@RobertFulop]

Go vegan instead.. grow fruits, veggies and other plant foods, permaculture style, organic. That's the future of food.

[@wolvenkind]

insects have a far smaller footprint

[@siddharthpande3858]

Don't be sheep.

[@Attya-y2y]

If we could get all we needed from plants only and have it on the same level of bio-availability and digestibility, then insects wouldn't be necessary. I personally would love for it to be that way, and still hope that it is that way. However, this point is still up for debate and hasn't been solved yet. There are opinions and studies supporting both sides of the argument, i.e. whether we need some animal products or not. And if it happened that the side claiming we do need some animal products to be "healthy" and thrive was right, then the insect solution is quite an amazing one when compared with the animal farming industry. And since no matter what your own opinion is, there will still be people with the opinion that they need to eat some animal protein, would you rather that they eat insects or cows?

[@deleventy]

I think we'll be growing meat in a lab before too long. Sure, actual meat will continue to be a delicacy, but I'm not too worried about not being able to have my cheeseburger in 20 years.

[@gregorflopinski9016]

Just a casual omnivore passing by, plus palm weevil larvae look jooooosy af

[@rkaiser1333]

Shes so.......fcukcign cute wtf. I will eat whatever she wants me to agshfjgkgkvkb

[@BananazCheerleader]

or we should stop eating meaet and stop looking for new things to eat

[@alexisbenjamin6299]

maybe feed the bu gs to the animals, then we will eat them??

[@ripTuffi]

135th comment

[@crystalc1ear]

Plant based is the future of food.

[@Redlizid]

Pure propaganda.

[@TurningString]

Eww i'm not eating insects sorry.