昆蟲(chóng)食品:下一波飲食潮流?
????“這種現(xiàn)象不是曇花一現(xiàn),而會(huì)成為一條將穩(wěn)步上升的曲線的開(kāi)端,”蒙大拿州立大學(xué)(Montana State University )副教授弗洛倫斯?鄧克爾說(shuō)。這位著名的食用昆蟲(chóng)專家每年都在校園組織一場(chǎng)昆蟲(chóng)自助餐,其中的特色佳肴包括蠟蛾幼蟲(chóng)油炸玉米餅、用咖哩粉烹調(diào)的黃粉蟲(chóng)和爆炒蟋蟀。 ????她列舉驅(qū)動(dòng)人們對(duì)這種全新食物類別產(chǎn)生興趣的力量,“當(dāng)時(shí)的環(huán)境,對(duì)更多營(yíng)養(yǎng)物質(zhì)的需要,還有就是千禧一代在搜尋更好生活方式時(shí)抱有的開(kāi)放心態(tài),”她補(bǔ)充說(shuō)。“在這些因素的推動(dòng)下,人們開(kāi)始不假思索地把昆蟲(chóng)作為一種蛋白質(zhì)來(lái)源融入我們的飲食?!?/p> ????不過(guò),雖然鄧克爾預(yù)測(cè)稱,在未來(lái)幾年,冷凍蛾幼蟲(chóng)將與冷凍蝦一道出現(xiàn)在消費(fèi)者的購(gòu)物袋之中,但其他人,包括聯(lián)合國(guó)糧農(nóng)組織,都比較謹(jǐn)慎。他們表示,至少對(duì)下一代人來(lái)說(shuō),昆蟲(chóng)消費(fèi)類產(chǎn)品將依然是一個(gè)“縫隙市場(chǎng)”,其主要受眾是尋求刺激的西方人,以及西方國(guó)家中渴望享受墨西哥蚱蜢或南部非洲可樂(lè)豆木蠕蟲(chóng)等傳統(tǒng)昆蟲(chóng)美食的移民社區(qū)。 ????負(fù)責(zé)協(xié)調(diào)糧農(nóng)組織昆蟲(chóng)項(xiàng)目的聯(lián)合國(guó)官員保羅?旺托姆表示,他認(rèn)為最大的潛力將是動(dòng)物飼料領(lǐng)域。他指出,在未來(lái)20年每年售出的大約1,500萬(wàn)噸蛋白質(zhì)中,昆蟲(chóng)的占比有望達(dá)到10%。在他看來(lái),昆蟲(chóng)將取代魚(yú)粉,還將成為大豆粉的補(bǔ)充。 ????“為了滿足養(yǎng)雞場(chǎng)和養(yǎng)豬場(chǎng)的需要,中國(guó)每年進(jìn)口大約3,000萬(wàn)噸大豆粉,”旺托姆說(shuō)?!爸袊?guó)老百姓通常一周吃一次肉,他們的肉食需求預(yù)計(jì)將在未來(lái)5年翻一番。這意味著,他們將進(jìn)口6,000萬(wàn)噸。就連中國(guó)也開(kāi)始為這些進(jìn)口飼料尋找替代品。對(duì)他們來(lái)說(shuō),這是一個(gè)大問(wèn)題?!?/p> ????此外,EnviroFlight公司的考特賴特表示,他預(yù)計(jì)飼料行業(yè)將成為最有潛力吸引投資的領(lǐng)域?!皩?duì)于飼料產(chǎn)業(yè)來(lái)說(shuō),肯定如此。但我不認(rèn)為西方公眾已經(jīng)做好了食用昆蟲(chóng)的準(zhǔn)備,”考特賴特說(shuō)?!拔覀冞€沒(méi)有餓到那份上。我們目前還沒(méi)有體會(huì)到挨餓的滋味,也不具備吃昆蟲(chóng)的文化傳統(tǒng)?!?/p> ????前幾天,就在《財(cái)富》(Fortune) 雜志社,當(dāng)幾位記者繪聲繪色地描述他們顫顫巍巍地品嘗Chapul椰子、姜汁、酸橙或花生醬和巧克力棒樣品的經(jīng)歷時(shí),有好幾位編輯都露出了驚恐萬(wàn)分的表情。其中很大一部分憂慮恐怕跟有可能咬到一只蟋蟀有關(guān)——就像他們?cè)陔娨暪?jié)目《誰(shuí)敢來(lái)挑戰(zhàn)》(Fear Factor)中看到的那個(gè)著名場(chǎng)景——盡管這些能量棒看不到明顯的蟋蟀痕跡,也缺乏這種吱吱叫的昆蟲(chóng)身上特有的那股木香味。這些食物的口味和一致性更接近于巧克力或熱帶棒狀食品。 ????幾個(gè)街區(qū)之外,在曼哈頓中城的西風(fēng)自然市場(chǎng) (Westerly Natural Market),有不少天然食品商店正在銷售這些棒狀食品。其中有一款蛋白質(zhì)棒包含野鼠尾草籽,和另一種據(jù)稱每銷售一筆就能拯救許多生命的草籽。站在一旁的銷售人員表示,Chapul蟋蟀棒主要賣給了那些嘗試著迎合最新保健食品趨勢(shì)的“死忠”顧客。由于市場(chǎng)營(yíng)銷活動(dòng)有限,再加上公眾對(duì)食用昆蟲(chóng)的概念還非常陌生,這些產(chǎn)品的銷售一直非常遲緩,他們說(shuō)。 ????不過(guò),對(duì)于各種反調(diào),克勞利早已習(xí)以為常,并且承認(rèn)在幫助消費(fèi)者克服對(duì)昆蟲(chóng)食品的恐懼方面,他依然需要做大量工作。但克勞利相信他的公司有足夠大的成長(zhǎng)空間,他預(yù)計(jì)公司營(yíng)收將在2015年達(dá)到100萬(wàn)美元,并且將在五年內(nèi)突破1,000 萬(wàn)美元大關(guān)。 ????克勞利說(shuō),“這個(gè)行業(yè)將繼續(xù)增長(zhǎng),我對(duì)此堅(jiān)信不疑?!彼A(yù)計(jì)Chapul將在五年內(nèi)進(jìn)入1萬(wàn)家商店?!拔覀冃枰S富我們的食品系統(tǒng),”他說(shuō)?!拔覀儾皇窃趪L試著消除食物來(lái)源。我們僅僅是想把昆蟲(chóng)添加到人們的飲食菜單之中?!保ㄘ?cái)富中文網(wǎng)) ????譯者:葉寒 |
????“This is more than a blip. This is the beginning of a curve that will go steadily up,” said Montana State University Associate Prof. Florence V. Dunkel, a leading edible insect expert who organizes an annual bug buffet on campus each year featuring delicacies like wax moth larvae quesadillas, curried mealworms and Chinese stir fry made with crickets. ????“There was the environment,” she says, ticking off forces that are driving interest in the new food group. “There was the need to have more nutrients. And then there was the openness of the Millennial generation to search out better ways to live,” she added. “It’s a no-brainer to begin to incorporate insects into our diet as a protein source.” ????But while Dunkel predicts that shoppers in the next few years could find bags of frozen moth larvae next to the frozen shrimp, others, including the FAO, are more cautious. They say consumer products will remain a “niche market” for at least another generation, mostly attracting thrill-seeking Westerners as well as immigrant communities in the West pining for traditional insect favorites like grasshoppers from Mexico or Mopane worms from southern Africa. ????The FAO’s Paul Vantomme, who coordinates the agency’s insect program, says he thinks the greatest potential is in the animal feed sector, noting that insects could represent up to 10 percent of the 150 million tons of protein sold each year in two decades. The insects would replace fishmeal and supplement soybean meal, Vantomme said. ????“China imports 30 million tons of soybean meal in order to supply its chicken and pig farms,” Vantomme says. “The average Chinese eats meat once a week, and that is expected to double in the next five years. That means they will be importing 60 million tons. Even China is looking for alternatives for these imports. For them, it’s a big problem.” ????EnviroFlight’sCourtright also says he expects the animal feed sector to offer the most potential for investors. “For animal feed, definitely. For human feed, I don’t think the West is ready,” Courtright says. “We’re not that hungry yet. We are not starving and insects are not part of our culture.” ????Some of that trepidation was on display the other day at Fortune when several reporters said they were scared to even try samples of the Chapur coconut, ginger and lime or the peanut butter and chocolate bar. Much of the apprehension came from expecting to bite into a cricket, as famously seen on the TV show Fear Factor, although the bars have no visible cricket parts and lack the woodsy flavor of chirping insects. The taste and consistency are closer to a chocolate or tropical power bar. ????A few blocks away, the bars were on sale at midtown Manhattan’s Westerly Natural Market natural foods store. Positioned alongside a protein bar featuring Chia seeds and another one claiming to save lives with each sale, staffers said the Chapul cricket bars were selling mostly to “hard-core” customers trying to tap into the latest health food trends. Sales have been slow due to limited marketing and the foreign concept of edible insects, they said. ????For his part, Chapul’s Crowley has grown accustomed to the naysayers and acknowledges he still has work to do to help consumers overcome their fears of eating products like his with insects. But he believes his company has plenty of room to grow, predicting that it could see $1 million in revenue in 2015 and more than $10 million in five years. ????“I have no doubt that the industry will continue to grow,” Crowley says, noting that he expects Chapul to be in 10,000 stores in five years. “We need to diversify our food system,” he says. “We are not trying to eliminate food sources. We are just trying to add insects to the menu of the American diet.” |
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