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Stefan Gates

Kari Lia

Can Eating Insects Save the World?

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Factual: Food & Drink

Factual: Science & Nature: Nature & Environment

18/03/2013

BBC Four - Can Eating Insects Save the World?

Stefan Gates immerses himself in the extraordinary world of insect-eating.

Stefan Gates immerses himself in the extraordinary world of insect-eating in a bid to conquer his lingering revulsion of bugs and discover if they really could save the planet.

How would you feel about eating deep fried locusts, ant egg salad or barbequed tarantulas? This documentary sees presenter and food writer Stefan Gates immerse himself in the extraordinary world of hardcore insect-eating in a bid to conquer his lingering revulsion of bugs and discover if they really could save the planet. 

With 40 tonnes of insects to every human, perhaps insects could offer a real solution to the global food crisis - where billions go hungry every day whilst the meat consumption of the rich draws vast amounts of grain out of the global food chain. 

Stefan's on a mission to meet the people in Thailand and Cambodia that hunt, eat and sell edible insects for a living. But nothing quite prepares him for bug farming on this terrifying scale, from stalking grasshoppers at night to catching fiercely biting ants. And it's not just insects on the menu. Stefan also goes hunting for the hairiest, scariest spider on the planet - the tarantula. Stefan asks if the solution is for everyone - the British included - to start eating insects too.

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