The New Frontier of Food Design Is All About Insects
These international thinkers are redesigning some of our worst fears into a food source
Designers across the spectrum are contemplating a sustainable design future, and some food designers among them just aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty. South African food designer and scientist Leah Bessa is one of many international thinkers who are redesigning some of our worst fears into a food source for the future.
“The world needs alternatives to survive. Insects are vital for the future of food because they require very little land, they don’t damage the environment like livestock does, they don’t produce greenhouse gases. They even meet the demand for ice cream,” Bessa explains.
After years of environmental and animal rights activists exposing the self-imploding nature of the current food system, food designers worldwide have begun searching for new food alternatives, studying the nutritional science behind eating insects and creatively processing them into products that look far removed from a Fear Factor challenge.
Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, has existed for thousands of years and is a native custom in over 3,000 cultures. Modern ento-advocates and innovators include Seattle-based David George Gordon…
