Protein sources of future: Are they changing?

Edible Insects

Many types of edible insects are safe for human consumption and do not pose any health risks. However, edible insects may contain biological or chemical contaminants, depending on the farming method. It is important to assess farming and feeding conditions. For instance, food waste is not currently used as a feed for edible insects, but if it should happen, further research is required on how it effects the insects' nutritional composition and concomitant content.
Seaweed and Edible Aquatic Plants

Seaweed is one of the typical foods in Japan and Korea. It can be harvested directly from the sea or cultivated at farms. Some types of seaweed have a richer protein content and contain less fat than others. On the other hand, all seaweed species are good sources of vitamins, minerals, and important amino acids. Moreover, it is said that they are a good source of B12 vitamins for vegetarians and vegans. The number of edible insect species with low B12 content is also very high.
Seaweed can be used in sushi, pasta, smoothies and salads. Micro algae are usually used in the production of dietary supplements.
Another aquatic plant, water lentils, or duckweed, are mainly used as food for pets. It is added to soups and salads in Asia. Beaked tassel weed has been drawing attention recently as a protein source. When dried, it can contain up to 40 percent protein.
New Plant-Based Protein Sources

The Protein2Food project, funded by the EU, aims to enhance the quality and quantity of proteins from plant-based sources that are already in widespread. These include grains like quinoa, amaranth, and buckwheat, and legumes that are rarely used such as broad beans, chickpeas, and lentils. The project also aims to produce foods that are more adaptable to European climate and land. Another goal is to produce plant-based foods like bakery products, breakfast cereals, and pasta to replace animal-based proteins. The quality of these high-protein products can maximized through improvements in production, cultivation methods, and technological developments.
What are the obstacles to adopting new plant-based sources and how can we overcome them?
The nutritional composition of insects and seaweed cannot be underestimated when compared with fish and red meat. Community should be informed about the environmental impact of meat production and encouraged to consume these new protein sources. European consumers view the human use of insects as food, or entomophagy, with disgust. They tend to associate eating insects with pests, bad hygiene, and unpleasant taste.The EU's legal regulations regarding insects, seaweed, and other new protein sources may be confusing, but EU member states are discussing about harmonization of legal regulations. For instance, compatibility of all insect species with the definition of "new foods" define above and their potential health risks should be discussed. Under EU regulations, any food that was not habitually consumed prior to May 1997 is considered to be a novel food. More data are required in order to create legal regulations regarding the consumption of new food products in Europe.
Conclusions
Replacing meat consumption with new protein sources offers the potential to improve the sustainability of food sources across Europe. Legal regulations and overcoming negative consumer perception are important factors in making use of these new protein sources. How this negative consumer perception can be changed? How can people be made aware of and urged to consider innovative food choices? What are the ways to encourage individuals to change their meat consumption habits? These questions are still unanswered.References
1. http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/
2. http://www.ipcc.ch/ipccreports/tar/wg3/index.php?idp=115
3. http://www.fao.org/docrep/018/i3253e/i3253e06.pdf
4. https://www.slu.se/globalassets/ew/org/centrb/fr-lantbr/publikationer/insects_as_food_2015.pdf
This article is translated from EUFIC publication on “Sustainable protein: Meeting future needs” (http://www.eufic.org/en/food-production/article/sustainable-protein-meeting-future-needs ) by Sabri Ülker Foundation.