Nutrition experts have found a cheap way to help save the environment and solve the food shortage crisis. Eating insects seems to be squeamish. But as a source, it is abundant and rich in calcium and protein.
The European Union thinks creepy crawlies should start appearing on menus after experts in Brussels recommended that bugs could be a vital source of nutrition.

So scorpion soup and cricket casserole could soon be options, as the European Commission has now offered £2.65 million into a project to promote eating insects.

Farmers can set up co-ops to deal with the supermarkets. The commission has also ordered the UK Food Standards Agency to investigate and potentially look at ways to make entomophagy - the eating of insects - a more popular choice.

The researchinstitute which is awarded the money by the commission will have to research quality and safety, potential allergies and what sort of proteins the insects offer.

Professor Marcel Dicke, leading a team at Wageningen University, in Holland, is applying for the grant.

He said: "By 2020 you will be buying insects in supermarkets. I think it will start with ground-up insects in sauces and burgers."

Snacking on silkworm moth larvae or adding blitzed bees to sauces could offer a much-needed solution to soaring costs of red meat.

One study found that grasshoppers offer 20 percent protein with a tiny six percent fat, compared to lean ground beef's 24 percent protein and 18 percent fat.

Alternatively insects emit fewer greenhouse gases than cattle, require less feed and are viewed as more environmentally friendly.





据英国《每日邮报》9月4日报道，营养学家发现了既环保又能解决食物短缺危机的廉价方法--吃昆虫。也许这会让人恶心，但是，昆虫当原料，料原充足且富含钙和蛋白质。


在布鲁塞尔的专家推荐臭虫为一种重要的营养来源后，欧盟认为应该把那些令人害怕的小爬虫列在菜谱上。


鉴于欧盟委员会目前提供了265万英镑作为促进人们食用昆虫的项目资金，顾客们很快就能选择食用蝎子汤和蟋蟀焙盘了。


农民可以成立合作社来与超市打交道。欧盟还命令英国食品标准局调查并尽可能地寻找方法，使食用昆虫更受欢迎。



获得欧盟这笔资金的英国食品标准局还将研究昆虫的品质、（食用昆虫）潜在的过敏反应和昆虫提供蛋白质的种类。



正在申请这一项目拨款的马塞尔•狄克教授在荷兰瓦赫宁根大学领导一组团队。


他说："到2020年，人们将可以在超市里买到昆虫，我想，磨成粉的昆虫可能首先出现于调味酱和汉堡中。"


食用茧蛹或将醉蜜蜂添加到调味酱中能为牛羊肉价格激增提供有效的解决方法。



一项研究发现，绞碎的瘦牛肉能提供24%的蛋白质和18%的脂肪。与之相比，草蜢能提供20%的蛋白质并附加6%微量的脂肪。


昆虫比牲畜排放更少的温室气体，需要更少的饲料，可以视为更环保的（资源）。

• abundant [ə´bʌndənt] a.丰富的；充分的 (初中英语单词)
• european [juərə´pi:ən] a.欧洲的 n.欧洲人 (初中英语单词)
• project [prə´dʒekt, ´prɔdʒekt] v.设计；投掷 n.计划 (初中英语单词)
• promote [prə´məut] vt.促进；发扬；助长 (初中英语单词)
• agency [´eidʒənsi] n.代理商；机构；代理 (初中英语单词)
• research [ri´sə:tʃ] n.&vi.调查；探究；研究 (初中英语单词)
• institute [´institju:t] n.学院 vt.建立；设置 (初中英语单词)
• holland [´hɔlənd] n.荷兰 (初中英语单词)
• solution [sə´lu:ʃən] n.解答；解决；溶解 (初中英语单词)
• environment [in´vaiərənmənt] n.郊区；周围；条件 (高中英语单词)
• crisis [´kraisis] n.转折点；危机 (高中英语单词)
• cricket [´krikit] n.蟋蟀；板球 (高中英语单词)
• commission [kə´miʃən] n.委任(状) vt.委任 (高中英语单词)
• investigate [in´vestigeit] v.调查(研究) (高中英语单词)
• potential [pə´tenʃəl] n.&a.潜在的；可能的 (高中英语单词)
• shortage [´ʃɔ:tidʒ] n.不足(量)；缺少 (英语四级单词)
• calcium [´kælsiəm] n.钙 (英语四级单词)
• brussels [´brʌslz] n.布鲁塞尔 (英语四级单词)
• nutrition [nju:´triʃən] n.营养(物)；食物 (英语六级单词)
• protein [´prəuti:n] n.蛋白质 a.蛋白质的 (英语六级单词)
• greenhouse [´gri:nhaus] n.温室，玻璃暖房 (英语六级单词)