It is the start of a new year and we have just finished a season of seafood, turkey and roast pork.
But will that always be the case?
Aussie love meat and especially red meat and chicken, and, at certain times of the year, seafood rules.
Animal meat is recognised as an environmentally expensive , due to the impact the animals have and the resources required to produce it, and is a comparatively low source of protein per kilogram of weight.
According to the Red Meat Advisory Council, the global average beef consumption is 57 g per day. It would definitely be higher in Australia, but across the world many countries are significantly lower than that.
So where are all these people getting their protein from?
For many it is from vegetable or cereal / grain sources, like soy, beans, peas and lentils, these are the staples of vegetarian and vegan diets, and are now being commonly chosen as a meat alternative by meat eaters.
Another alternative for vegos and those concerned with animal welfare is the cultured meat, which is now beginning to be heard of in news reports. There are obviously “manufactured meat” issues which will need to be handled before this type of protein becomes in regular use.
In the USA a chip company already makes tortilla type chips from a flour made from specific crickets. These chips contain 30 percent less fat than normal chips and as much protein as an egg white per serving.
This company is not alone in using insects as an ingredient in food. Billions of people around the world eat insects regularly, although it is far less common in Western countries.
Yes, the future of commonly accessible and cheap protein is insects.There are more than 2000 species of edible insects, so it is a ready source of cheap protein, and has a high protein content for the weight consumed.
So in the future we will not only be considering purchasing and eating protein based on what species and where it came from but also on whether it is sourced from animal, vegetable, manufactured or insect.
So where does your meat come from?