North Carolina’s Food Shortage Will Make Edible Insects A Necessity
North Carolina’s Food Shortage Will Make Edible Insects A Necessity
Citizens of the United States would like to believe that starvation levels of poverty don’t exist within their country’s borders. For the most part they would be right, as the US is a fully developed nation that is prosperous enough to keep its citizens fed. However, times are changing, and perhaps not all states in the US can boast about their lack of poverty and starvation. The one US state that is becoming more of a concern in this regard is North Carolina. North Carolina is actually home to a booming agricultural industry. The state has an abundant amount of sweet potato crops, hogs, and turkey. Therefore you would not think that a high amount of residents are struggling to put food on their tables. A little over fifteen years ago the Budget and Tax Center in Raleigh ranked North Carolina as the fifth most food impoverished state. More than one and a half million residents of the state live in a food desert, which is an area that is cut-off from locations where nutritious food is available. Also, twenty five percent of children in the state are categorized as “food insecure”. This lack of access to food is such a big problem, that residents, farmers and business people, are considering the last option on the table–edible insects.
Most people living in North Carolina will not embrace edible insects anytime soon, but that does not mean that they won’t resort to eating bugs if they must. Local farmers are teaming up with businesses in the state in order to create farms that raise edible insects. Although residents will not make their pallets happy, eating insects is certainly beneficial to health, as we all know. The humble cricket will likely become the most common edible insect in the state, and these crickets are more protein and nutrient-rich than pork. Only time will tell if the edible insect idea will solve the hunger crisis in North Carolina. But one startup company has already established itself in Henderson County. Who knows? Maybe the state will become home to the most healthy people in the world.
Do you think that it’s possible for North Carolina to become a nationwide leader in edible insect production and consumption?
