The Conservative party has accused Labour's Ed Miliband of a radical plan to change the British diet, suggesting he intends to switch meat for insects in an effort to combat carbon emissions.
This accusation follows the release of a government paper on Net Zero strategy that recommends improving options for a lower-carbon diet, including the consumption of 'alternative proteins.' While the paper specifies plant-based and cultivated meats, the Tories have warned that this could lead to a push for more bugs and insects in people's diets.
Robbie Moore, the shadow Tory farming minister, claimed that Miliband is a 'threat to the historic British diet' and that his plans would turn 'hardworking Brits' dinners into a daily bushtucker trial.' He stated that forcing people to eat bugs would not stop global warming and criticized the plans as part of 'Labour's war on the countryside.' However, a paper from Edge Hill University suggests that insect proteins are often lower in fat and have a lower environmental impact than traditional livestock.
The study also acknowledges that a significant 'disgust factor' must be overcome, as only 13% of those surveyed were willing to eat insects regularly.
A Labour source dismissed the accusations as a desperate attempt by Moore to 'criticise things that only exist in his own imagination.' The government report itself specified that it is not a statement of government policy and the Department for Science and Technology was approached for comment.
The report also suggested other measures like methane-suppressing feed additives for cattle and selective livestock breeding.
This accusation follows the release of a government paper on Net Zero strategy that recommends improving options for a lower-carbon diet, including the consumption of 'alternative proteins.' While the paper specifies plant-based and cultivated meats, the Tories have warned that this could lead to a push for more bugs and insects in people's diets.
Robbie Moore, the shadow Tory farming minister, claimed that Miliband is a 'threat to the historic British diet' and that his plans would turn 'hardworking Brits' dinners into a daily bushtucker trial.' He stated that forcing people to eat bugs would not stop global warming and criticized the plans as part of 'Labour's war on the countryside.' However, a paper from Edge Hill University suggests that insect proteins are often lower in fat and have a lower environmental impact than traditional livestock.
The study also acknowledges that a significant 'disgust factor' must be overcome, as only 13% of those surveyed were willing to eat insects regularly.
A Labour source dismissed the accusations as a desperate attempt by Moore to 'criticise things that only exist in his own imagination.' The government report itself specified that it is not a statement of government policy and the Department for Science and Technology was approached for comment.
The report also suggested other measures like methane-suppressing feed additives for cattle and selective livestock breeding.
