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Mainly because insects are expensive. Sure, they need less food than conventional livestock but they are very labour-intensive. You typically need thousands of
by barbegal 8y ago
Mainly because insects are expensive. Sure, they need less food than conventional livestock but they are very labour-intensive.
You typically need thousands of insects to get the same amount of protein as a chicken. You can raise several chickens per square meter but you can't raise the equivalent number of insects in that space which means you either need more real estate (expensive) or typically more labour with insects in many shelves or boxes stacked up. And each of these shelves or boxes requires cleaning, feeding, watering, temperature control...
Without a huge revolution in technology to automate all of these tasks you have to employ a small army of human workers which is only really viable in lower wage countries.
You simply can't produce insects suitable for human consumption at less than $20/kg whereas chickens can sell for just a few dollars per kg. And when the consumer is given the choice between delicious, cheap, tried and tested vs unknown, expensive they will always choose chicken.
- bartread 8y ago> And when the consumer is given the choice between delicious, cheap, tried and tested vs unknown, expensive they will always choose chicken. Unless they're hipsters. How else does one explain the existence, and outrageous price, of cold brew coffee as compared to its unfailingly disappointing flavour?
- ClassyJacket 8y agoHas it genuinely not occurred to you that some people might like b different things to you?
- bartread 8y agoHas it genuinely not occurred to you that I was being a little tongue in cheek? And the point stands: there will always be people who pay a premium for things that others find unappealing.
- throwaway5752 8y agoAre you account for the aerable land consumed by the chicken feed and the protein input (fish meal) vs the equivalent requirement for the insects?
- drivingmenuts 8y agoOne thing occurs to me: if cattle or sheep en masse break loose from containment, it's a problem, but a solvable one. If chickens do the same, it's solvable, but much more difficult (try herding chickens - or better yet, get your kids to do it, it'll be hilarious). But a mass of crickets breaks loose from containment? Ohgod.