edible insects 

rick weiss, the director of sciline – an editorially independent, nonpartisan, nonprofit publication service for journalists and scientists – moderated a panel diving into the “future of food.” three experts on the subject spoke about the possibilities that roam beyond typical farming strategies that are more sustainable for the environment and potentially healthier for humans as well. 

dr. julie lesnik, an assistant professor in the department of anthropology at wayne state university, discussed the potential for mass-produced “edible insects” like crickets. crickets produce high levels of protein and even greater levels of calcium and iron compared to pigs and cows. these figures could vary depending on what a farmer feeds their livestock, lesnik said. but overall, insects pack high amounts of nutrients. 

large-scale farms producing a single crop depend on high amounts of fossil fuels, pesticides, and antibiotics, according to healthcare without harm. cows are placed in tight, cramped spaces on farms in order to produce as much meat as possible. this method, in which cows are raised for human consumption, raises concerns about the ethics of mass-producing meat, lesnik said. but crickets like close-knit spaces. 

“crickets already like dark, cramped spaces, and so they produce well. they’re happy in those spaces,” lesnik said. 

many countries already eat crickets and other insects but the u.s. has built up a stigma against them. lesnik said this stigma stems from colonial america when spanish sailors, like christopher columbus’ crew members, saw indigenous tribes eating bugs and viewed the behavior as “beastly.”

“if we’re going to change this attitude, we’ve got to change this idea of it as primitive and savage and allow younger generations to view insects differently and make this food source available to them,” lesnik said. 

cellular agriculture  

dr. kate krueger is a cell biologist and research director at new harvest – a nonprofit research institute that supports innovations in cultured meat and cellular agriculture. during krueger’s introduction to the panel, sciline’s weiss shared “how impossible burgers are, in fact, possible,” given the research krueger has conducted. 

she discussed the potential for cellular agriculture to substitute meat farming. cellular agriculture requires cells to be taken out of an organism, like a cow, and then grown onto a material called a scaffold. a scaffold allows the cells to grow up and be fed with nutrients and minerals in a bioreactor to make a steak-like product. technology for a steak-like product is at least 10 years away from coming to fruition, but products like meatballs, chicken nuggets, and burgers are closer to 5 years from creation, krueger said. 

however, the evolution of cellular technology is raising concerns for meat and poultry farmers. 

“there’s often kind of a push-pull in the field between a lot of enthusiasm about these new products and a lot of potential pushback from different people who grow these animals,” krueger said. 

the veganism movement, fueled by younger generations, has shown the benefits of meat alternatives. but if the world stopped eating meat altogether, serious economic and health repercussions would arise for millions of people, specifically in rural populations. many people rely on a meat-based diet to consume enough protein at cheaper prices. sources like beans and rice would not cut it, experts shared at the world economic forum. 

seaweed production 

dr. denise skonberg, associate professor of food science in the food and agriculture school at the university of maine, studies the benefits seaweed and algae can have on a human diet and the environment. her research focuses on the health benefits of seafood products like marine organisms. 

“there are thousands of species of seaweeds,” skonberg said, “and they vary a lot in terms of their appearance, their color, their nutritional value, their texture, and their flavor.”

she said the growing “foodie” movement in the united states – a movement that has sparked new types of cuisine – leads her to believe large-scale seaweed production would benefit the economy. the global seaweed economy amounted to $6 billion in 2018, mostly produced in china. skonberg said the warm waters on the east and west coasts could make ideal places for larger seaweed farms. 

however, the warming ocean temperatures raise a concern for the sustainability of these potential farms. skonberg said scientists are currently studying the genetic diversity of various kinds of seaweed and testing where various types of seaweed thrive in various climates. 

what’s next

the bottom line for all three experts? more research is needed. sustainable farming for crickets, cultured meats, and seaweed needs more engineering investment to understand if these options can help sustain humans and better the environment. however, all three experts stressed that the possibilities are out there for sustainable food, like increased health benefits for humans. 

now the funding and technology efforts must come together to make it happen. 

the internship was nothing less than incredible––i was thrust right into the swing of things as soon as my first day started. that first week, i shadowed a segment that would become the largest part of my internship, “experts on camera”––one-on-one broadcast quality interviews that we arranged between scientists and reporters in order to facilitate conversation and increase availability. we decide on an overarching theme and three subtopics for that month’s round of “eoc,” as we called it, and then go searching for experts to contact. if they accept our invitation to participate, we schedule a 90 minute window, and the reporters simply sign up for a 15 minute slot. on the day of, we jump into a set of questions we come up with for a general video that will be edited and posted on the website for those who couldn’t attend. 

my first round of “eoc,” i edited one of the three videos. the second round, i edited all three videos, as well as helped brainstorm topics and assisted in finding experts. my third round though, i did everything, from deciding on a whole topic and subtopics to finding experts, pitching them to our team, contacting them, writing all promotional material and general video questions, interviewing them, and editing the videos together. 

the biggest challenge that i experienced was that many people didn’t respond, so we always had to be prepared––backups had to be ready to go at all times. for one segment, we went from zero reporters signed up to all four slots being filled in less than 12 hours. it was nerve-wracking, but it was the most rewarding process i’ve ever experienced. i watched myself go from a shadow to successfully leading a whole “eoc” round myself. i can go look at my segments about climate change––specifically species extinction, children’s health effects of wildfire smoke, and agricultural yields––and know that i am the reason they exist and can be reported on more effectively.