Primary school pupils to be offered insects to eat in 'alternative protein' study
An 'alternative protein' resembling mince will be used at four primary schools to teach youngsters about the impact of food on the environment
Children at four primary schools will be offered insect protein during workshops to gauge youngsters' appetite for "alternative protein". The children will reportedly be given a product called VeXo, a combination of insect and plant-based protein.
The product is said to look like "conventional" mince. The
i newspaper said researchers are hoping to use data from the study to learn how best to educate children about the nutritional and environmental benefits of eating creepy crawlies - such as crickets, grasshoppers, silkworms, locusts and mealworms.
The investigation, which will use children aged from 5-11, is being led by Christopher Bear at Cardiff University. The study will use surveys, workshops, interviews and focus groups to explore young people’s understandings of alternative proteins - and as part of the research they will be offered a sample if they wish to try it, the Daily Star
reports.
Mr Bear told the i: “We want the children to think about alternative proteins as real things for now, rather than just as foods for the future, so trying some of these foods is central to the research. Although edible insects are – for now – not sold widely in the UK, they form part of the diet of around 2 billion people worldwide.