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[kevboard]

True.

But at least those dyes are processed and sterilized where it doesnt resembles bugs at all. Big difference between that and eating a roasted cockroach.

It's similar to water. Drinking water raw from any lake, river, or city dumping stream is gross. But totally processed and filtered from a water treatment plant is totally different.

and what was approved by the EU here is UV treated powder of mealworm larvae. so, very much similar to E120 but with the difference that it actually has some nutritional value

 

[poppabk]

True.

But at least those dyes are processed and sterilized where it doesnt resembles bugs at all. Big difference between that and eating a roasted cockroach.

It's similar to water. Drinking water raw from any lake, river, or city dumping stream is gross. But totally processed and filtered from a water treatment plant is totally different.

This is just basically sterilized protein powder. It does make you think about why we have issues with some things but are good with things like yeast.

 

[El Muerto]

We eat bugs in the USA all the time in our flour. It has been FDA approved.

 

[diffusionx]

You WILL eat the bugs because... You just WILL, OKAY?

 

[Diddy X]

You've probably eaten hundreds of bugs in your sleep already.

 

[Artoris]

its called a mealworm for a reason

 

[Yoda]

Readers added context:
Using "current prices" to make such interpretation is misleading, since the euro depreciated temporarily during that period. On a PPP basis EU GDP per capita was 67.5% of US GDP per capita in 2010, by 2021 that had actually grown to 69.8%.

Not considering PPP isn't really the point, which is to show the US is growing faster when the conventional wisdom would probably assume parity. This chart shows PPP and the gap is still not in the EUs favor:

 

[Zathalus]

What is the issue here? The product has simply been approved for purchase due to it being classified as safe for human consumption. As noted, eating it is ultimately up to the consumer.

 

[jufonuk]

France is going to burn itself down in protest should it be forced into foods

I tried a cricket Patty once it tasted like a burnt dry beef burger it wasn’t all that. If you told me it was a burnt beef burger I would have gone ahh ok?!?

 

[WhamBamThankYouMaam]

I mean, it is not worse than the average chemical cocktail that is normal US food.

 

[Cyberpunkd]

"Experts"

Protein powder is way easier, way more proteins than this. If you want to gain muscle mass it is the most optimal way unless you really want that 400g of chicken every day. Trust me, I tried this, gets old really fast.

 

[mansoor1980]

 

[Rawbutt Jellybean]

Don't question, just eat the maggot sandwich.

 

[SJRB]

I hate the EU so fucking much.

 

[Nikodemos]

Does UV treatment denature chitosan? Insect-based products which contain bodypart fragments can trigger shellfish allergy in affected individuals.

 

[Lambogenie]

It's fine. Many countries consume them in different ways. Not something for me probably, and it's not like cochineal and other things aren't already in some of our foods.

 

[winjer]

Fort those who don't know, around 85% of all civilizations had insects as a part of their diet.
We are one of the few exceptions that don't eat it.

But still, I find insects disgusting. So I'm not keen on trying it.

 

[Zathalus]

But still, I find insects disgusting. So I'm not keen on trying it.

Completely optional of course. I hate liver myself but some love it, more power to them. Insects are not for me either, but if it’s safe and some people like them, let them have it.

 

[ValiantInstance]

Fort those who don't know, around 85% of all civilizations had insects as a part of their diet.
We are one of the few exceptions that don't eat it.

But still, I find insects disgusting. So I'm not keen on trying it.

And we were the only ones who established the rights of the individual and achieved scientific and cultural enlightenment.

Not causation but certainly correlation in there.

 

[winjer]

And we were the only ones who established the rights of the individual and achieved scientific and cultural enlightenment.

Not causation but certainly correlation in there.

The reason we don't eat insects is because our scientific and technological prowess allowed us to produce meat, cereals, vegetables and other foods in an unprecedented scale.
So we are spoiled for choice and abundance.

 

[Wildebeest]

This type of mindset is why Europe is becoming poor:

It's because after the financial crisis they did dumbfuck austerity, meaning no investment in the future, now they have no future. But the US peanut gallery was on the sidelines saying how smart they were for doing real austerity to get things under control and that the US is doomed.

 

[IDKFA]

This type of mindset is why Europe is becoming poor:

Reminder that the EU isn't Europe.

There are also countries within the EU that don't use the Euro as currency, such as Poland.

 

[Alx]

For all the people upset at that info, better not look too much into the additives currently used in the food industry. It’s either not different from ground mealworms, or much worse.
Sure it’s even better to eat non processed products (nobody is forcing you to snort the worm powder), but as long as the mealworms recipe has proven it’s safe to eat, there’s no reason to ban it.

 

[Wildebeest]

For all the people upset at that info, better not look too much into the additives currently used in the food industry. It’s either not different from ground mealworms, or much worse.
Sure it’s even better to eat non processed products (nobody is forcing you to snort the worm powder), but as long as the mealworms recipe has proven it’s safe to eat, there’s no reason to ban it.

Processed food can be bad for you, but nobody seems to be really sure why because nutrition is incredibly complicated. People variously blame lack of fibre, too much salt/sugar, too dehydrated, additives.

 

[Nikodemos]

Processed food can be bad for you, but nobody seems to be really sure why because nutrition is incredibly complicated. People variously blame lack of fibre, too much salt/sugar, too dehydrated, additives.

Primarily, it's a matter of far too much sugar, in everything, including things which shouldn't have it. This has the direct consequence of making food items excessively energy dense, with a type of food energy that is composed of empty calories (refined carbs).

Ironically, after decades of ballooning portion sizes, the trend has been slowly reversing recently, due to shrinkflation. Silver linings and all that...

 

[Dutchy]

Not the worst thing to at least try and come to terms with as an alternate food source imho. You never know if (when) it's going to come in handy.

 

[RagnarokIV]

Dirty bastards

 

[Wildebeest]

Primarily, it's a matter of far too much sugar, in everything, including things which shouldn't have it. This has the direct consequence of making food items excessively energy dense, with a type of food energy that is composed of empty calories (refined carbs).

Ironically, after decades of ballooning portion sizes, the trend has been slowly reversing recently, due to shrinkflation. Silver linings and all that...

You can assume it is sugar, and it is proven bad for diabetes, but it doesn't explain everything.

 

[Nikodemos]

You can assume it is sugar, and it is proven bad for diabetes, but it doesn't explain everything.

Diabetes isn't the only illness caused by high blood sugar. You can be below the trigger for full-onset diabetes, and still suffer from sugar damage. See glycation.

 

[killatopak]

Beans, toast and now worms?

UK is truly hell.

 

[Nikodemos]

The interesting bit is, they're mentioning adding the mealworm flour to those foodstuffs which historically had a bunch of insects infesting the ingredients (cereals, fruit, and dairy).

 

[SatansReverence]

No, I won't eat the bugs.

 

[StabbyStabStabStabStab]

I thought locusts were the great saviour of world food shortages (well it was a few years back - I thought we'd all be on the locust brugers by now).

 

[Bojji]

This type of mindset is why Europe is becoming poor:

Isn't this mostly from tech firms like Meta, Apple, Nvidia etc.?

 

[AJUMP23]

well, better look at anything red/pink in your house for E120 dye... because that's red dye made out of bugs.

Campari uses it for example, as well as many strawberry flavoured yogurts and ice creams

Ya I don’t eat that stuff. Although red jello is good.

 

[Randall365]

This type of mindset is why Europe is becoming poor:

Really that shows the inflation of the dollar. Great if you are an American going on holiday abroad or importing - not so good for tourism to the US from other countries; or if you are an exporter and or don't like trade deficits. I think DT has said he wants to devalue the dollar to deal with trade deficits in fact. China have done it for years.

The end result is that, in theory, people in the US will buy the mealworms ground up in the EU and exported there, as they will be cheaper, rather than having their own mealworm grinding facilities and workers. "In theory" of course, because nobody in their right mind would eat this revolting shit.

 

[Hookshot]

I'm sure I saw last year that Kenyan mealworms eat plastic. Grow them for that instead please.

 

[Drake]

The thing is, the people who want you to eat this stuff, they're not eating bugs. They're still gonna be eating beef and chicken. They just want YOU to eat bugs. It never ceases to amaze me how people will white knight for these elites who try and force this stuff on the masses.

 

[Banjo64]

Absolutely vile. The bureaucrats actually want us to be in a society where people are eating insects as a norm says it all about their aspirations and where they want us to be.

 

[poppabk]

The thing is, the people who want you to eat this stuff, they're not eating bugs. They're still gonna be eating beef and chicken. They just want YOU to eat bugs. It never ceases to amaze me how people will white knight for these elites who try and force this stuff on the masses.

Force? Its just been certified as safe for use in food, they aren't closing supermarkets and sending people packets of mealworm paste.
PS Michelin 5 star restaurants have served insect based dishes, the rich would eat shit if you added a high enough price and enough exclusivity and cachet to it.

 

[BlackTron]

No worse than beaver anal Castor sacs in food flavoring

I think the outrage over this is overblown because even though the sacs are anatomically nearby, that castoreum never passes through the anus. It's dense with plant phytochemicals and was probably better than chemical alternatives. Also the amount used as a flavor additive was extremely tiny. I'd accept it over bugs personally...

 

[Bitmap Frogs]

Absolutely vile. The bureaucrats actually want us to be in a society where people are eating insects as a norm says it all about their aspirations and where they want us to be.

The bureaucrats are worried about climate change because it can wreck crops and in the future we might have to chose between grain for bread or grain to raise beef. Look what happened with olives in Spain, 40% of production lost in a whim of the weather.

 

[Kings Field]

Oi do ya have a liocense for that worm m8

 

[Hari Seldon]

The thing is, the people who want you to eat this stuff, they're not eating bugs. They're still gonna be eating beef and chicken. They just want YOU to eat bugs. It never ceases to amaze me how people will white knight for these elites who try and force this stuff on the masses.

100%. You think all of those blue blood princesses and shit they still have in euroland for some unknown fucking reason are eating this shit? Fuck no. The plebs eat the bugs and save the steaks for the elites.

 

[Herbspiceguy]

The WEF is a big pusher of eating insects as a pillar of their sustainable agenda. Unfortunately, whatever the WEF wants, our spineless, sack of shit politicians will carry out.

 

[Zathalus]

100%. You think all of those blue blood princesses and shit they still have in euroland for some unknown fucking reason are eating this shit? Fuck no. The plebs eat the bugs and save the steaks for the elites.

Regular sources of protein are not going anywhere, nor would they with how politically powerful farmers are in the EU.

 

[DeafTourette]

I think the outrage over this is overblown because even though the sacs are anatomically nearby, that castoreum never passes through the anus. It's dense with plant phytochemicals and was probably better than chemical alternatives. Also the amount used as a flavor additive was extremely tiny. I'd accept it over bugs personally...

Same

 

[Robot Carnival]

I'm fine with it. I've ate bugs before. many different kinds too. deep fried ones are more or less like fries or chips. and strewed ones are decent too depends on how you make them. there are plenty of places where folks eat bugs as their daily diet and it's not a big deal. just learn from those cultures and make them tasty.

 

[PaddyOCanager]

Does it taste bad or something?

Or are people just mad because "Ew, bugs"?

As someone who consumes McRibs anytime I can find one, I'm not sure what the big deal is here. It's just a powder additive, right? I don't know what half the shit is in the food I eat anyway. Mealworms are probably an upgrade.

 

[Angry_Megalodon]

"You have to become resilient, my bros, you have to be sustainable"

"It's ok to eat insects. People who eat meat are selfish pricks, they harm the environment"

"Save the planet, eat cockroaches. Call out those who don't. Shame them"

Does it ring any bell?

Fuck these evil elites and their useful idiots. Fuck all of them.