ALGAE FOR LUNCH? www.foodtechnology.co.nz 19 By 2050, the world’s population is expected to exceed nine billion people. An approximate two billion extra mouths will need to be fed. This increasing population places an immense demand on food producers, in turn stretching the environment to provide for our ever-growing demand for food. The UN Sustainable Development Goals specifically target this concern with a goal to ‘End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture’, encouraging us to think carefully about the future of food. The demand for animal proteins is growing rapidly, pushing up prices and driving many consumers to deviate from traditional food sources. There is a growing need to encourage the consumption of under-utilised and under-appreciated foods. Numerous Californian start-ups are introducing the world to plant-based protein substitutes. Looking and tasting like meat and dairy products, Impossible Foods has created substitutes derived directly from plants, meaning no cholesterol, hormones, antibiotics and no chance of being tainted by bacteria from a slaughterhouse. By researching the molecular level of animal products, Impossible Foods has selected specific proteins and nutrients from grains, seeds and plants to recreate meat and dairy products in a sustainable way, and has successfully created a plant-based cheeseburger. The value of the technology was highlighted when the owners declined an offer for the company from Google, rumoured to value it at between US$200million and US$300million. Another trend gaining traction is the incorporation of insects into our diets. Insects are healthy, rich in protein and healthy fats, and potent in vitamins and minerals. They do not need a feed stock, being able to survive on biomass (organic matter), and have little environmental footprint, as there are no greenhouse gas emissions or effluent concerns. Processors are grinding up insects to create a high protein flour that can be used as a substitute for traditional protein in many products. Concurrently, with demand for traditional animal protein growing, the necessity to produce enough food to feed animals grows. Insects do not require feed due to their biomass conversion, and as a consequence not only offer a solution for human food but create options as a stock feed. Most would associate algae with green sludge found on a fish tank, whereas those in the realm of research and food trends consider food algae to be one of the most nutritious foods on earth, often being overlooked as a food source. Spirulina (being a perfect example) has established itself as a mainstream health offering, delivering a potent dose of protein and iron with very little environmental impact. With an increased awareness in health, nutrition and the environment, the alternative proteins offer opportunities for New Zealand producers to create new market niches, if only we could get our heads around consuming an algae salad with a side of cricket. Ian Proudfoot – Global Head of Agribusiness, KPMG boiling. The insects are then baked and milled to produce a beige powder. The powder can be sprinkled on food, taken as a protein booster or used by people such as bodybuilders, and delivers a slightly nutty flavour. Manufacturers using the product can also order different flavours, such as celery or garlic, which are added to the insects’ food and absorbed into the body. Olsen says whilst crickets are a “harder sell than vegetables or grains,” they will be snapped up by younger audiences wanting boosted protein diets or those pledging to eat healthily for their entire lives. “There is the ‘ick’ factor,” he says, “and we can see the reaction from people to the idea depends almost entirely on their age group. But younger people are influenced by the type of food they want, as well as how it’s produced for them. Cricket farming is extremely sustainable, and that appeals to younger consumers.” Once the operation grows, the company will import machinery from China and start to supply specialty food stores. It will also seek funding from investors to expand production facilities, and aims to start small with the ultimate goal of becoming a pioneer in the cricket farming world and a major global exporter. In the meantime, Olsen needs to complete a degree in innovation and entrepreneurship, and Figg a postgraduate degree in architecture before delving full time into cricket farming. Diprose, a university tutor, says even in its infancy, the business takes 20 hours per week from each of them. But the idea, which came about after a UN report on global food mentioned using insects to feed populations in Third World countries, is starting to make traction. Critter Farms NZ recently won a $1000 prize for its business case from the University of Auckland Business School’s Spark $100K Entrepreneurial Challenge, and has attracted the attention of the industry’s movers and shakers. “We understand that people think it’s a bit of a weird idea farming crickets, but they won’t be laughing in a few years,” Olsen says. “It’s a bit like kale… not that long ago, nobody was eating it, but now it’s in everything. That’s where we hope to be in the next 10 years.” Contact: Elliot Olsen at elliotolsen@hotmail.com Website: critterfarms.co.nz Email: team@critterfarms.co.nz INSECT CUISINE In Nigeria, menus include termites, crickets, grasshoppers, caterpillars, palm weevil larvae and compost beetle larvae. Balinese regularly snack on dragonflies and damsel flies. Australian Aborigines have enjoyed Bogong moths, witchety grubs, honeypot ants and honeybag bees. Many Tokyo restaurants will still offer boiled wasp larvae, aquatic insect larvae, fried rice-field grasshoppers, fried cicada and silk moth pupae. In New Zealand, huhu grubs are a delicacy among Mãori.
FT-mar16-Vol51-2
To see the actual publication please follow the link above