ENTOMOPHAGY: REAL OPPORTUNITY OR ILLUSION?

It is widely accepted that by 2050 the world will host 9 billion people (FAO, 2013). To cope this number, current food production will need to almost double. Land is scarce and expanding the area devoted to farming is rarely a viable or sustainable option (FAO, 2013). The deficit in the production of protein has become one of the most important problems in Europe; in fact, about 80% of European protein crop requirement is imported from non-EU countries (Van Huis, 2013; Hoek et al., 2013; Oonincx and de Boer, 2012). Without these premises, insects can become a sustainable production for several reasons such as: a) high conversion ratios (FAO, 2013); b) reduced production of pollutants and GHGs (Van Huis et al., 2013; Rossitto et al., 2017); c) possible biological breeding; d) reduced use of soil and water compared to livestock and pigs. This research applying, for the first time, the Rasch model on 31 items of a survey on EU and extra UE citizens to assess the respondents availability of the to accept insects and/or insect-based products in their diet. The Rasch model allows to understand which steps can be taken to increase the consumption of insect by consumer.