Is there a global agenda to force people to eat insects and lab-grown food?

A recurring claim that the ‘green agenda’ of climate activists and organisations is to deliberately collapse the food supply system so that people will have no choice but to eat insects and lab-grown fake food has increasingly gained traction on social media. This narrative has mainly been pushed by the proponents of climate change denialism and scepticism accusing climate activists and organisations like UN and WEF for disrupting the global food system. It claims that global practices in the name of climate change would leave people with no choice but to eat insects and lab grown food in the future. 

It’s about individual choice 

The green agenda to tackle climate change is concerned with reducing the impacts of the food industry on the environment. It does not promote or force people to eat insects and lab grown fake food and this is all about individual choice and preference. There is no claim by organisations like World Economic Forum (WEF) and UN, that people would be left with no choice but to eat insects in the future. 

There have been studies published in this regard, for example, a research published by FAO focused on the nutritional value of some edible insects. Meeting the protein requirements from that source would also help fight climate change, the paper stated. It is estimated that by 2050, the world’s population is expected to exceed nine billion, necessitating a 60 percent increase in global agricultural output to meet demand for food.

An option to integrate insects in the food choices

A study by the Food and Agricultural Organization found that around 2 billion people currently consume insects as a supplement to their diets, and people have always consumed insects in Asia, Africa, and Latin America. 1900 of the one million insect species known to science are consumed by people. Beetles, caterpillars, bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, locusts, and crickets are a few of the insects that are commonly eaten. Edible insects have been an important source of protein, fat and micronutrients in otherwise plant-based diets.

According to a book “Edible insects”, launched at FAO headquarters, “At a time when population growth, urbanization, and the rise of the middle class have increased food demand while also harming the environment that supports its production, insect farming for human and animal consumption is especially important.”

Carbon footprint of meat industry 

Overgrazing and intensive livestock production are polluting land and water, degrading forests and causing climate change.

The global food industry’s 57% of greenhouse gas emissions are related to the breeding, care, and feeding of cows, pigs, and other livestock as well as the production of feed. The production of beef alone is thought to be responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions in the food industry. The production of rice comes next, which produces more greenhouse gasses than the production of pork, poultry, lamb, mutton, and dairy products combined.

In order to prevent global warming and reduce carbon footprint, scientists have repeatedly emphasized that a significant change in farming and eating practices is needed. Now that more meat is being produced, there are roughly three chickens for every person on the planet. As per a study, growing and processing fruits and vegetables for human consumption is much better for the environment than raising and slaughtering animals for food.

Every day, 815 million people in the world stay hungry. This number could be lowered, providing benefits to millions of people, through the widespread adoption and implementation of sustainable forest management as a crucial element of integrated landscape management, leading to better protected ecosystem services, more sustainable food production, and improved food security and nutrition for all.

What led to this conspiracy theory 

An opinion piece published on the WEF website titled ‘5 reasons why eating insects can reduce climate change’ on Feb 9, 2022, might have been one of the driving factors behind the birth of this conspiracy theory. A disclaimer (added later) that the article has been ‘intentionally misinterpreted on sites that spread false information’ is testimony to this. Among other things, the fact that it is an opinion piece makes it clear that it is not an official statement/write-up endorsed by the WEF. The piece also does not state anywhere that people will be forced to consume insects. Instead, it talks about the nutritional value of insects and the fact that the induction of insects into people’s diet will prove to be beneficial in the fight against climate change. Similar articles published on other occasions were also misinterpreted to claim that there is an agenda to force people to eat insects as part of the fight against climate change. 

Initial References:

• https://www.theepochtimes.com/epochtv/the-one-globalist-lie-which-can-destroy-worlds-farmers-facts-matter-5460624
• https://www.oecd.org/agriculture/topics/climate-change-and-food-systems/
• https://www.worldbank.org/en/news/feature/2022/10/17/what-you-need-to-know-about-food-security-and-climate-change
• https://news.un.org/en/story/2013/05/439432
• https://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/175922/icode/
• https://www.fao.org/forestry/food-security/en/
• https://www.dw.com/en/fact-check-is-eating-meat-bad-for-the-environment/a-63595148
• https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/sep/13/meat-greenhouses-gases-food-production-study
• https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frsus.2023.1112950
• https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24742878/

Image: https://www.pexels.com/photo/sliced-bread-on-brown-wooden-chopping-board-3756523/