Kelp, maggots and mycoproteins in future foods that must be mass-cultured to combat malnutrition

In the face of climate change, environmental degradation and epidemics, a radical change in the food system is needed to protect food supplies and combat malnutrition, according to a new report.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge state that our future global food supply cannot be protected by traditional approaches to improving food production. They suggest that state-of-the-art controlled environmental systems that produce new foods need to be integrated into food systems to reduce their vulnerability to environmental changes, pests and diseases.Their report was published in the journal today Nature food..

Researchers say that growing foods such as insect larvae such as spirulina, chlorella, and houseflies, mycoproteins (fungal-derived proteins), and large algae such as sugar kelp can eradicate global malnutrition. I am. These foods are already attracting attention as nutritious, more sustainable alternatives to traditional plant and animal-based foods.

The production of these “foods of the future” may change the way food systems operate. They can grow on a large scale in a modular, compact system suitable for isolated communities such as urban environments and remote islands. An approach that researchers call a “multi-centric food network” allows food to be produced consistently by the community in the region, reducing reliance on the global supply chain.

To reach their conclusions, researchers analyzed about 500 published scientific papers on various future food production systems. The most promising, such as microalgae photobioreactors (devices that use light sources to grow microorganisms) and insect breeding greenhouses, expose themselves to the dangers of the natural environment by farming in a closed and controlled environment. To reduce.

“Foods such as unicellular algae such as sugar kelp, flies, mealworms, and chlorella may provide a healthy, risk-resistant diet that can combat malnutrition around the world,” said a researcher at the center. Dr. Asaf Tzachor said. First author of the Existence Risk Study (CSER) and report at the University of Cambridge.

“Our current food system is fragile. We are exposed to a series of risks, such as floods and frosts, droughts and dry spells, pathogens and parasites, that slight improvements in productivity remain unchanged. A whole new farming method needs to be integrated into the current system to ensure food supply in the future. ”

The report argues that relying on food produced through traditional agriculture and supply systems at risk of serious disruption due to factors beyond human control is dangerous. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted this vulnerability. Government-imposed travel restrictions have disrupted food production and supply chains around the world.

In parallel, recent environmental challenges to the food system include wildfires and droughts in North America, African swine fever outbreaks affecting pigs in Asia and Europe, and desert locust herds in East Africa. Will be. Climate change is expected to exacerbate these threats.

Catherine Richards, a postdoctoral fellow at the Center for Existence Risk Research in Cambridge, said: Doctor of engineering.

“The coronavirus pandemic is just one example of an increasing threat to the globalized food system. Diversifying the diet with these future foods is critical to achieving food security for all. . “

The burden of malnutrition is arguably the most permanent humanitarian crisis. Two billion people are experiencing food insecurity, including more than 690 million undernourishments and 340 million children suffering from micronutrient deficiencies.

Researchers say that reservations for eating new foods like insects can be overcome by using them as ingredients rather than eating them in their entirety. For example, pasta, burgers, and energy bars can all contain crushed insect larvae and processed microalgae and large algae.

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