Meat the Food of the Future 705
Hugh Pickens writes writes "BBC reports that rising food prices, the growing population, and environmental concerns are just a few issues that have food futurologists thinking about what we will eat in the future and how we will eat it. In the UK, meat prices are anticipated to have a huge impact on our diets as some in the food industry prognosticate meat prices could double in the next five to seven years, making meat a luxury item. 'In the West many of us have grown up with cheap, abundant meat,' says Morgaine Gaye. 'Rising prices mean we are now starting to see the return of meat as a luxury. As a result we are looking for new ways to fill the meat gap.' Insects will become a staple of our diet. They cost less to raise than cattle, consume less water and do not have much of a carbon footprint. Plus, there are an estimated 1,400 species that are edible to man. 'Things like crickets and grasshoppers will be ground down and used as an ingredient in things like burgers.' But insects will need an image overhaul if they are to become more palatable to the squeamish Europeans and North Americans, says Gaye. 'They will become popular when we get away from the word insects and use something like mini-livestock (PDF).' Another alternative would be lab grown meat as a recent study by Oxford University found growing meat in a lab rather than slaughtering animals would significantly reduce greenhouse gases, energy consumption and water use. Prof Mark Post, who led the Dutch team of scientists at Maastricht University that grew strips of muscle tissue using stem cells taken from cows, says he wants to make lab meat "indistinguishable" from the real stuff, but it could potentially look very different. Finally algae could provide a solution to some the world's most complex problems, including food shortages as some in the sustainable food industry predict algae farming could become the world's biggest cropping industry. Like insects, algae could be worked into our diet without us really knowing by using seaweed granules to replace salt in bread and processed foods. 'The great thing about seaweed is it grows at a phenomenal rate,' says Dr Craig Rose, executive director of the Seaweed Health Foundation. 'It's the fastest growing plant on earth.'"
Hey, just market bugs as (Score:5, Funny)
Not for me (Score:5, Funny)
It's really pretty obvious (Score:5, Funny)
Under-abundance of meat
Over-abundance of humans
If you convert the over-abundance into the under-abundance, they balance themselves out.
Arthur C. Clark would be proud (Score:4, Funny)
Why stop there? Why not use human muscular stem cells? Then it could be branded as Ambrosia Plus.
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BMO
Re:Hey, just market bugs as (Score:5, Funny)
Although "Mosquito McMuffin" does have a certain ring to it....
Obligitory (Score:5, Funny)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Soylent_Green
Re:Not for me (Score:5, Funny)
poory written title (Score:3, Funny)
Meat the Food of the Future
Maybe I'm getting old, but I just cannot fathom 'meating' my future food. Well.. maybe if it's apple pie.
Idiomatics (Score:5, Funny)
Re:If you ask me (Score:2, Funny)
Well its fairly easy. Big sign over the supermarket.
"Free Sex This way"
Help me out here, I'm a bit confused (Score:4, Funny)
Is the BBC turning into The Onion? Or is the author just plain daft to start with?
Substituting the words "mini-livestock" in place of "dead insects"? What the fuck are these Brits smoking?
I know crushed-up insects may pass for a semi-decent gourmet meal by British culinary standards, but here in America I'll stick to my 97% lean ground beef and REAL pork chops, thanks.
Re:If you ask me (Score:5, Funny)
Futurists (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Idiomatics (Score:5, Funny)
Hivestock.
Re:FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU FUCK YOU (Score:2, Funny)
To be fair though, if people in the UK are considering adding bugs to their diet, that'd probably represent an improvement on the typical British food, from what I've heard.
Says the man from the country that gave us the drive through fast food joint and the 52 oz "medium" soda.
Re:Another crystal ball post (Score:4, Funny)
Re:Hey, just market bugs as (Score:3, Funny)
Homo industrius
Hm, is that like the construction worker in the Village People?
Re:Hey, just market bugs as (Score:5, Funny)
"Do you want flies with that?"
Re:Hey, just market bugs as (Score:4, Funny)
I think you meant..."Do you want flied lice with that...?"
Often heard at the local chinese takeouts around here...