Eating Bugs Is Answer To World Food Security Concerns, UN Report Says [VIDEO]

As billions of 17 year cicadas prepare to emerge from the ground in North America and across the globe in Madagascar biblical plagues of locusts are destroying crops and threatening the livelihood of an entire nation, a recent report from the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) suggests that the answer to the world's food problem is to eat the bugs.

Though more than a third of the world's population already eats insects regularly, getting the rest of the population to overcome their "disgust" of eating things the crawl, buzz and chirp will prove to be a challenging hurdle.

A press conference detailing the 200-page FAO report was held in Rome on Monday.

"The main message is really: 'Eat insects'", Eva Mueller, director of forest economics at the FAO, said at the press conference, according to the AFP.

"Insects are abundant and they are a valuable source of protein and minerals," she said. "Two billion people -- a third of the world's population -- are already eating insects because they are delicious and nutritious."

The report states that more than 1,900 edible insect species are consumed throughout the world and that more people should consider them a viable food option because of their nutritious properties, the economic and social factors that come along with industrial insect rearing, and the positive environmental and ecological impact increased insect consumption will have on the planet.

The most commonly consumed insects include beetles, caterpillars, bees, wasps, ants, locusts, crickets and cicadas.

The practice of eating insects is known as entomophagy. When we eat insects, it's more accurately described as human entomorphagy.

Consumer disgust remains one of the largest barriers to the adoption of insects as viable sources of protein in many Western countries, the report states. But people can adapt to new habits quickly. The report referenced the widespread adoption of eating raw fish as sushi as a good example of changing dietary habits. It also noted how lobster was once considered a poor man's food, but is not a delicacy.

But the report also suggests our livestock should adopt a more insect-rich diet as well.

"The use of insects on a large scale as a feed ingredient is technically feasible, and established companies in various parts of the world are already leading the way," the report states.

"Insects can supplement traditional feed sources such as soy, maize, grains and fishmeal," it stated, adding that the ones with most potential were larvae of the black soldier fly, the common housefly and the yellow mealworm.

But how do they taste?

Last week New York magazine reported that cicadas taste like soft-shelled crab or cold, canned asparagus. In Asia some insects like grasshoppers and boiled with sugar and soy sauce and have a sweet crunch. The FAO report noted that some caterpillars in southern Africa and weaver ant eggs in Southeast Asia are considered delicacies and command high prices.