Science & technology | Bug-fed steak

Insects could help turn beer waste into beef

People do not like eating insects. Livestock are less picky

2R0Y7CC BERGEN OP ZOOM - Larvae of soldier flies (Hermetia illucens) at Protix, the largest insect farm in the world. The larvae of this fly are very rich in protein. ANP ROBIN VAN LONKHUIJSEN netherlands out - belgium out
It’s what’s for dinner, indirectlyImage: Alamy

Eating insects is one of those ideas that never quite seems to catch on. The United Nations endorsed the idea a decade ago, but, in the West at least, bugs remain mostly absent from supermarket shelves. Faced with an indifferent—or disgusted—public, scientists have been exploring other options. One is to feed the insects instead to livestock, which are not so picky.

This article appeared in the Science & technology section of the print edition under the headline “Bug-fed steak”

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