Oh ice cream, how I love you! Sometimes ice cream just really hits the spot, especially when you’ve had a really long day or it’s really hot outside. But have you thought about what’s going to happen to food, and more importantly ice cream, when there is a boom in population? Experts estimate that there will be approximately 11 billion people on our planet by the end of the century. This in turn may lead to a severe food shortage. Scientists have mentioned before that we may need to rely on bugs in order to survive in the future. They’re cheap and an easy protein that can help us get through the day. The Economist decided to take this to another level. We all know that bugs are full of protein, fiber, and even calcium. They are inexpensive and more sustainable than our typical animal proteins like beef. The Economist stated, “not having to look at bugs, and emphasizing the environmental benefits might make the idea of eating insects a bit more palatable.” Well check out their recent experiment that was conducted in Canary Wharf in London.
The Economist decided to hold a giveaway. With this giveaway, you’d get a free book along with a tub of ice cream if you signed up for their subscription.
This was the sign that they had displayed by their kiosk. Free ice cream that is both sustainable and protein rich? Sounds like a win win.
Well this was the menu that was offered at the kiosk. The giveaway was such a hit that all that was left was Strawberries and Swirls and Nutritious Neapolitan.
The ice cream is made in London. The bugs are shipped from Holland, then added later. In the Neapolitan ice cream, you can see bits of mealworms and grasshoppers, making up about 10% of the ice cream.
To help make it a little more bearable, they included bug facts on the outside of the ice cream tub. For example, “A serving of grasshoppers contains about the same amount of protein as a serving of beef and has far less fat and fewer calories.”
So how does it taste? Well one person said, “The ice cream itself was delicious and creamy. The mealworms gave the dessert a crispness, liked popped rice with a chewy center, while the grasshopper bits were less noticeable, like very finely chopped walnuts.”
When looking at the ice cream from a slight distance, it doesn’t necessarily look all that bad. But once I found out what was in it, I think it’s pretty gross.
They did say that the grasshoppers got stuck in their teeth and the mealworms had an odd texture.
Would you eat bugs as a way to survive or would you rather go off the grid and figure out how to live life on your own? I don’t know about you, but I think I would prefer to live off the land, growing my own fruits and veggies and raising my own livestock. The bugs can stay where they belong, outside and away from me!