Write about the following topic. To meet the growing need for food to support an increasing population, a country should make use of edible insects as a food source. However, some people believe that insects are not only unhealthy but harvesting them will also negatively affect nature. What are the benefits and drawbacks of eating insects? Give reasons for your answer and include any relevant examples from your own knowledge or experience. You should write at least 250 words.

In cultures that appreciate

insects

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as a valuable meal, all kinds of

insects

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have been collected for hundreds of years from the wild. While rising demand in Western societies, farming

insects

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for human as well as animal consumption is a growing sector. Their high fertility and rate of reproduction, high feed conversion efficiency, and rapid growth rates make

insects

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viable and attractive candidates for farming.

Firstly

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, they can be reared in fairly small spaces, making it feasible to raise them in rural as well as urban farm settings. Insect farming has low carbon, water and ecological footprints as compared to other livestock species, making them highly attractive from an environmental sustainability standpoint. In general, edible

insects

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are a good source of protein, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, though the nutritional profile can vary widely among species.

This

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makes them a potential

food

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source for healthy human diets.

For example

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, 400 edible-insect-related businesses are operating in the Western world, producing a steadily growing range of insect

food

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products ranging from protein powders, energy bars, confectionary, beverages and more substantial foods. Whereas the downside of insect farming is regarding safety hazards

such

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as biological agents (bacteria, viruses, fungi).

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, Farming

insects

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under controlled hygienic conditions and implementing sanitary processing techniques should reduce some hazards,

such

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as microbiological contamination.

However

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, when

insects

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are harvested from the wild and consumed raw,

food

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security risks could be higher.

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, In a farming environment, an important area of

food

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safety consideration is the quality and security of the feed or substrates that farmers use for rearing their

insects

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.

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, the benefits of

this

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emerging feed source must be weighed against all possible challenges: