Do you like insects? No, it is not "collecting" but "eating". Today, I would like to introduce "Ento", a group that is serious about insect food for future food shortages.



"Ento" is a project jointly undertaken by the Royal College of Art in the United Kingdom and Imperial College London. The two goals are "development and distribution of foods made from insects" and "eliminating people's resistance to eating insects."

Ento project members consider eating insects to be one of the leading ways to solve the world's food shortages. According to Ento, if the world's population continues to grow at its current pace, 2050 will require 1.7 times more food than 2012, and cattle, pigs, and chickens will not be able to keep up. is.

Insect food saves humankind from this food crisis. According to Ento, insects are very efficient in breeding. For example, when raising cattle, 10 kg of feed can produce only 1 kg of protein. But insects can produce 9 kg of protein from 10 kg of feed.



Many grains such as corn are also used as feed for cattle, which accelerates human food shortages. However, weeds that humans do not eat can be used as feed for insects. Moreover, insects are low in fat, high in protein, contain various vitamins, and are very good for the body.



It's such a good insect food, but there is one big problem. That is, many people don't want to eat insects. That's right.

This year, Ento announced a long-term plan to solve this major problem.



Ento plans to open an "insect food restaurant" in the UK next year. The restaurant aims to eliminate people's resistance to insect food by offering only menus that are completely indistinguishable from insects at first glance. We will also actively expose to the media and spread the image that eating insects is eco-friendly, advanced and fashionable.



In 2015, a part of the menu sold at the insect food restaurant will be sold at the supermarket as the lunch box "Entobox". We will also make the price reasonable so that those who are interested in knowing "insect food restaurants" in the media can easily get their hands on it.



After this, we will expand into fields such as frozen foods that can be cooked in a microwave oven in 2017 and pasta sauce in 2018, creating an atmosphere where it is natural for insects to gradually climb to the table.



By 2020, we will be able to sell "crickets" and "darkling beetle larvae" that retain the appearance of insects at supermarkets, just like beef and pork. This is the whole picture of Ento's long-term plan.



Speaking of 2020, eight years from now. If Ento's plan goes well, conversations such as "Mom, what's your dinner today?", "Stir-fried Tenebrionidae larvae" and "Yeah!" Should become commonplace among families in just eight years. .. …… Hmm, but does that really happen?

The Ento project states:

"It can be difficult to imagine ourselves eating insects, but we may have no other choice to survive."

Ento-Design Process Video