EU Gives Green Light for Two Insect Species to Be used for Human Consumption

[Mountain Man]

42

It's the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything.

[alaskazimm]

It's the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything.

But what is the question? And is FF really Ford Perfect trying to mimic humans? Suddenly it all makes sense, and I'm a bit worried

[rogue06]

But what is the question? And is FF really Ford Perfect trying to mimic humans? Suddenly it all makes sense, and I'm a bit worried

Best to keep a towel handy in case things get dicey.

[Diogenes]

But what is the question? And is FF really Ford Perfect trying to mimic humans? Suddenly it all makes sense, and I'm a bit worried

"What is 6 times 9" would be the question, which is technically accurate in Base 13 but no one makes Base 13 jokes.

[Mountain Man]

"What is 6 times 9" would be the question, which is technically accurate in Base 13 but no one makes Base 13 jokes.

It also contradicts one of the plot points of the book which is that the untimely crash of the Golgafrinchin B Ark royally screwed up the program that was being run on the planet Earth, so it never had a chance of figuring out the Ultimate Question anyway.

[Starlight]

I saw a piece of scientific work today that made me think of this thread, and realize that insects are definitely not the future, bacteria in vats are.

Science has reached the point where you can "program" bacteria by inserting DNA into them and then having the bacteria spit out endless replications of whatever it is you've specified. This was used to great effect in the recent mRNA vaccines in order to mass-produce the vaccines so quickly (historically vaccines had been a lot slower to produce). If you program a bacteria, you can then have it have it make things like proteins or 'milk' or 'flour'. They can then spit these things out in bulk, and bacteria are very efficient at what they do, far more so than 'large' animals like insects, cows etc. A vat of bacteria will be by far the most efficient way to make these things. You'll be making 'purer' versions of these things in the sense that they will chemically be only exactly what you are wanting, without the kinds of contaminants that traditionally-made things have.

You can then use these things in processed food products. People won't be able to tell the difference because they're chemically the same. And people won't even notice because the products people currently eat have 100 ingredients like 'reconsituted zymobotabolized ingredient 1872' on the back of them and nobody blinks an eye or would noticed if one of those changed to something else.

And before anyone gets too "oooh, bacteria in a vat, yuck!". Remember Beer and Yoghurt are made by bacteria in vats, and most people think they're pretty good.

It's just a far more efficient way to make raw food ingredients like protein, milk or flour. Making complex things is beyond the scope of this technology (e.g. your peaches and your fish won't be being manufactured by bacteria any time soon), but they should be able to do very basic raw ingredients no problem and and vastly more efficiently than currently. I'd give it ten years before major food manufacturers are including bacteria-produced substances in their products just to save on costs.

[seer]

You can then use these things in processed food products. People won't be able to tell the difference because they're chemically the same. And people won't even notice because the products people currently eat have 100 ingredients like ' reconsituted zymobotabolized ingredient1872' on the back of them and nobody blinks an eye or would noticed if one of those changed to something else.

So a while back you suggested that people were nuts if people thought they would use bugs in our food stuffs without our knowledge, but obviously they are already doing similar things.

[Starlight]

So a while back you suggested that people were nuts if people thought they would use bugs in our food stuffs without our knowledge, but obviously they are already doing similar things.

I don't think they'll use bugs in your food. I think very few people actually know all the things in their food.

[seer]

I don't think they'll use bugs in your food. I think very few people actually know all the things in their food.

They are talking about using ground up bugs in flour and such. If they are willing do what you say they are doing now then why not?

[Sparko]

I saw a piece of scientific work today that made me think of this thread, and realize that insects are definitely not the future, bacteria in vats are.

Science has reached the point where you can "program" bacteria by inserting DNA into them and then having the bacteria spit out endless replications of whatever it is you've specified. This was used to great effect in the recent mRNA vaccines in order to mass-produce the vaccines so quickly (historically vaccines had been a lot slower to produce). If you program a bacteria, you can then have it have it make things like proteins or 'milk' or 'flour'. They can then spit these things out in bulk, and bacteria are very efficient at what they do, far more so than 'large' animals like insects, cows etc. A vat of bacteria will be by far the most efficient way to make these things. You'll be making 'purer' versions of these things in the sense that they will chemically be only exactly what you are wanting, without the kinds of contaminants that traditionally-made things have.

You can then use these things in processed food products. People won't be able to tell the difference because they're chemically the same. And people won't even notice because the products people currently eat have 100 ingredients like 'reconsituted zymobotabolized ingredient 1872' on the back of them and nobody blinks an eye or would noticed if one of those changed to something else.

And before anyone gets too "oooh, bacteria in a vat, yuck!". Remember Beer and Yoghurt are made by bacteria in vats, and most people think they're pretty good.

It's just a far more efficient way to make raw food ingredients like protein, milk or flour. Making complex things is beyond the scope of this technology (e.g. your peaches and your fish won't be being manufactured by bacteria any time soon), but they should be able to do very basic raw ingredients no problem and and vastly more efficiently than currently. I'd give it ten years before major food manufacturers are including bacteria-produced substances in their products just to save on costs.

Or meat cloned in vats.

WASHINGTON, Nov 16 (Reuters) - The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for the first time cleared a meat product grown from animal cells for human consumption, the agency announced on Wednesday.

UPSIDE Foods, a company that makes cell-cultured chicken by harvesting cells from live animals and using the cells to grow meat in stainless-steel tanks, will be able to bring its products to market once it has been inspected by the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), said a release from the FDA.
https://www.reuters.com/business/hea...or-2022-11-16/

[rogue06]

Anyone else amused at how star mocked and sneered at the idea that we'll be eating bugs only know to almost giddily explain we'll be eating bacteria?

[Sparko]

Anyone else amused at how star mocked and sneered at the idea that we'll be eating bugs only know to almost giddily explain we'll be eating bacteria?

Not bacteria. Bacteria POOP!

and btw, Beer isn't made with bacteria poop, but yeast poop! It's vegan!

[rogue06]

Can I get that bacteria poop medium rare?

[Sparko]

Can I get that bacteria poop medium rare?

Would you like tofu fries with that?

[rogue06]

Would you like tofu fries with that?

Nay. Just some fried crickets if you don't mind.