The report by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization says that eating insects could help boost nutrition and reduce pollution, BBC News reports.

It notes than over 2 billion people worldwide already supplement their diet with insects.

Wasps, beetles and other insects are currently “underutilized” as food for people and livestock, the report says.

The authors point out that insects are nutritious, with high protein, fat and mineral content.

Insects are also “extremely efficient” in converting feed into edible meat. Crickets, for example, need 12 times less feed than cattle to produce the same amount of protein, according to the report. And they produce fewer environmentally harmful greenhouse gases than other livestock.

Insects are regularly eaten as a delicacy by many of the world’s population.

The report suggests that the food industry could help in “raising the status of insects” by including them in new recipes and adding them to restaurant menus.

Would you like