Zoe Henkes
AP Economics
Mrs. Straub
19 October 2014
Slimy yet Satisfying
Although America has been named the “melting pot” for its great diversity and mixing of cultures, one aspect of foreign cultures that has not been adopted is the eating of insects. Instead, most people would rather cringe at the sound of a crunchy candied cricket than actually try it for themselves. However, with the rising prices of meats, world hunger never a far cry from home, and an ever-rising human population, could incorporating insects into daily diets really be the answer?
The first thing to consider when launching this new industry of edible insects would be the costs of production. Under traditional meat producing parameters, land is becoming more and more scarce and therefore expensive and feed costs are rising. Also, because of increasing income levels, the demand for meat, a normal good, is increasing. To meet this increased want for meat products, already-scarce land must somehow be utilized more efficiently and feed must be allocated more effectively, making traditional meat production less desirable. Compared to the average cow, insects require minimal water, space, and feed. Because they are cold-blooded, they can transform food to energy much more efficiently than their warm-blooded counterparts. In analyzing Figure 5.1, it can be noted that the kilograms of feed per kilograms of edible weight of crickets is much closer to the kilograms of feed per kilograms of liveweight, meaning that much more feed is actually being utilized by the crickets, than in the other animals. Also, as insects are accustomed to living in crowded colonies, they require much less space, as well. Effectively, by switching to insect production, costs of production can and will be greatly reduced. In fact, raising insects is so easy, people can raise them themselves in their own homes in habitats such as cricket farms described in the video below.
Next, there is no denying the nutritional benefits and versatility of insects. With their nutty taste and crunchy exterior, these critters are known to not only be rich in protein, but also in several other minerals and vitamins. Among those include vitamin B, iron, and zinc. Insects can also be prepared in a variety of different ways whether it be boiled, fried, or ground up into a fine powder to be used in flour. Because of this versatility, they can be eaten as a small snack, an entire entre, or anything in between. Not to mention, insects also have a very low fat content, so as consumer tastes shift to healthier and low-fat diets, insects might very well be the solution.
Lastly, the economic efficiency of insect production greatly outweighs that of traditional meat sources. In referring back to Figure 5.1, the pie charts showing the percent of animal that is actually edible display that there is two times the amount of edible meat per cricket than per cow. In looking at the bar graph of kilograms of feed per kilogram of edible weight and liveweight, also, it is obvious that crickets are the most efficient in utilizing that feed fully most efficiently. Additionally, insects produce much less waste than livestock or poultry. While cows are notorious methane-producers, insects emit minimal amounts of ammonia and other greenhouse gases. By transitioning to eating insects, consumers and producers alike will not only getting more bang for their bucks, but will also be minimizing environmental pollution.
In conclusion, as the population grows and consumer tastes shift, suppliers will look for more efficient and cost effect products to produce. Seeing the many benefits of eating insects, perhaps they will turn to these six-legged creatures as a solution. That is, assuming we can get past the ick-factor, of course.
Works Cited
Dicke, Marcel, and Arnold Van Huis. "The Six-Legged Meat of the Future." The Wall Street Journal. Dow Jones & Company, 19 Feb. 2011. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052748703293204576106072340020728?KEYWORDS=The+meat+of+the+future&mg=reno64-wsj>.
"Growth in Global Meat Production Limited by Rising Cost of Inputs." Eblex. Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, 31 July 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://www.eblex.org.uk/market-intelligence-news/growth-global-meat-production-limited-rising-cost-inputs/>.
Sheets, Connor. "Meat, Produce, Dairy Prices On The Rise While Processed Foods, Grain Prices Remain Stable." International Business Times. N.p., 29 May 2014. Web. 19 Oct. 2014. <http://www.ibtimes.com/meat-produce-dairy-prices-rise-while-processed-foods-grain-prices-remain-stable-1591626>.
Well the economics behind your argument make a good case for why we should be eating crickets, I don't think consumer tastes will ever really increase the demand for insects due to our culture. I think it would take a significant reduction of consumer income for consumers who are used to eating steak which offers a significant amount of utility to switch to the cricket. Also, the quantity supplied would have to be enormous considering it would take lots of crickets to satisfy one human. It's an interesting argument but as a steak enthusiast I hope it does not replace steak.
ReplyDeleteZoe, I would never have thought that eating insects could become an economic argument but you disproved that thought. Your argument was extremely well reasoned and convincing, I thought about how easy it would be to make insects a consumer product. Right now, consumer tastes are heavily skewed towards red meat and poultry, do you really think people could convert to eating crickets? Also, wouldn't a shift in the market towards insect production put ranchers and poultry farmers out of work? And I would add that cattle and poultry can be raised year round outdoors as they are endothermic, but cricket production would require large amounts of indoor space in the winter. Altogether it is a fascinating argument, and although the health benefits from crickets are profound, I personally do not believe that consumer tastes will shift enough to create a viable market for cricket consumption.
ReplyDeleteThe facts that you present are all valid points, but for now the good will be rather inelastic, as many aren't going to switch right over. In fact, it could take an entire new generation for the demand to actually increase from the daredevils that consume them now. However, I do believe that this will have a place in our future as a tasty, and nutritious snack.
ReplyDeleteYou make a very interesting observation about the economic benefit of eating insects although I don't see these changes happening anytime soon due to society and how they view the consumption of insects. Yes there are many economic benefits to eating insects but I would argue that the reason behind rising costs in other meats is due to the high demand by the consumers. As people would switch to insects the price of other meats would decrease and result in a fluctuation between people switching from the meats that are standard today to insects. Lastly there are going to be many people that view meats as inelastic and would refuse to switch over to insects.
ReplyDeleteZoe, the graph you used was the first thing that popped out at me in your essay; I thought that it really showed the efficiency of crickets when compared to other meats--they cost much less, you can produce much more and they are even better for the environment. I don’t know if I could get past the ick-factor, but I don’t think I’d be opposed to it completely. The versatility of the product also makes it economically functional, because you can put the crickets in flour and it would go unnoticed among the population. I think that it could not only help the United States’ economy, but the global economy as well with impoverished countries finding ways to utilize the plentiful resource that is insects.
ReplyDeleteZoe,
ReplyDeleteI was immediately draw to your piece due to the picture from The Lion King, a little off topic I know, but I feel that a good attention gainer is key to any journalistic piece; for that I commend you. I agree with Brad in some circumstances, while I do believe that your piece certainly did a great job arguing why people should eat more crickets, I do not agree with him in the sense that the insect eating aspect of it all will discourage the population from doing so. As seen throughout recent years the world as we know it has been morphed into an era of health craze. I would like to give people a little more credit and say that once figuring out the nutritional value in the cricket they will not only begin eating crickets, but enjoy eating them as well. Yet I still question as to whether or not insects will have the same filling aspects as regularly eaten meats, I am not opposed to giving eating insects a try. If we never try new things how are we supposed to move forward in the world, for all we know it eating insects could become a new fad--way to start the movement!
This is a good topic that has been circulating over the past number of years, and I am thoroughly impressed by your effective thinking on how this market would work if it went main-stream. The fact that you showed graphs that made it clear there were major missed opportunity costs of other types of main protein foods, like beef, compared to the much more effective rates of insects. You also made another hot topic point on the methane gas excreted from large animals that would be lowered in a more widespread insect diet country. The final thing that was very important is the fact you also talked about why this market has not risen up yet and that is because insects just aren't appealing to the average American, but I do wish you could have made more point on how to get around that factor I thought this was a compelling and well written economic article/argument.
ReplyDeleteYou make an excellent point. If we utilized the land used for beef for insects instead, the production rate could be through the roof. However there is one unfortunate but crucial I have to make here. Even if you convinced every american citizen that if the U.S. switched their primary meat source to insects, I can't imagine much of an effect on the beef market.
ReplyDeleteIt is interesting to see how much greater productive efficiency insect-producing firms can achieve than traditional meat-producing firms. Evidently consumers should shift their dietary interests away from large animals and toward insects. Although, as you mention, the concept of insect ingestion brings great disgust to the majority of Americans, it is a common action in other continents. The benefits seem to be fairly impactful, and the costs seem to only be appetite for consumers. Although traditional meat-producing firms might miss out on some sales as a result of this shift, perhaps they could transition their production to insects instead of livestock. Personally, I don’t think I could stomach the digestion of a grasshopper, but I think if Americans adopted insect ingestion as a common thing, I could learn to enjoy them. Therefore, as farfetched as the idea of eating insects sounds, I feel that it is a feasible argument that should be brought up more often.
ReplyDeleteIt’s interesting that you brought up the negative externality that is methane production by livestock. I didn’t think about this and I doubt many other people did, too. Since this externality is probably not factored into the costs of production, society probably overallocates resources to the production of cows for consumption. Maybe instead of overallocating resources to cows, we can instead shovel resources into the production of crickets.
ReplyDeleteI think it would be kind of cool if we start farming insects. Insects are cheap and easy to farm, which it would be easy to help feed the people who are starving in the world. I think it was also head turning when the methane gas was brought up, because I didn't know that. I think that would be good for everyone who wants to start farming insects so they know the harm it could bring, but I think overall it does have benefit, especially with all the protein and vitamins they consist of. Overall I do believe we should start farming insects because it would be better for the United States.
ReplyDeleteI agree that insects might be a good source of nutrition but farming them large scale will be just as problematic as large scale farming systems in place. Disease will spread through the colonies like wildfire killing and maiming every member. Human created diets for the insects will lack the natural variety which the insect would normally get, decreasing nutritional benefit. So it is a good idea but will only change the face of the problem not fix it.
ReplyDeleteDear Zoe,
ReplyDeleteYour post was extremely interesting and such a unique topic! I think you are right. Eating insects would be a much more efficient and economically friendly way of incorporating high protein and low fat. I especially think it is a good way to incorporate more protein into the diet as I have seen my little sister struggle to find things that are high in protein. Many times our family only has meat for dinner and we are left to find something for lunch and breakfast to sustain us. My little sister, who has a tree nut allergy, will usually eat the leftover meat to get protein but sometimes when that is not enough she has to search for an alternative. Many other sources of protein, such as hummus and nuts, are not available to her because of her allergy. I think it is very cool how insects could give us a whole new option. In a society that seems to be driven by how many choices we have in our everyday lives whether that be foods, products, or clothes it seems eating insects would be the perfect way to fuel this choice driven society but for some reason it is not. I believe this is because as a culture we were taught that eating bugs is bad and that has been ingrained in us so long that I think it would be extremely hard to let go of. While I think eating insects may be a good thing, I also think it will probably never happen as people cannot get over their personal fears.
This was weird and interesting topic to bring up in economics. I like your creativity! It is obvious in today's market and society that meat is more expensive than insects, but I think this trend will tend to stay this way nonetheless. Meat does have more protein to provide, and as humans we have shifted the animals' lives by mass producing them in a way to keep up with the population in order to feed them. Insects on the other hand.. I think countries that have a wide variety of such tastes and people willing to make it their daily diet may benefit from it. I don't think that the globe will go as far to alter bugs' lives to mass produce them in an unhealthy way to make them plump and to feed so many people. I think that meat from poultry and cattle will remain to lead for the next few years because of what it offers and how as a nation already overpopulate them in a way to feed people. It's bad, but I don't think a daily diet of bugs would seem most appealing to people. I really like your creativity Zoe! And the title matches your theme and picture perfectly!
ReplyDeleteHonestly, it can be kind of disgusting to think about eating insects, but that's probably because of the society in which we were raised. However, it is interesting to think about raising insects for food, and that it might be a better choice for us to eat than some meat as well as being more beneficial since more of the insect is edible than some other meat types. Side note: I like the Lion King picture in the article.
ReplyDelete