(Observer Network News) Recently, hundreds of schools in the Netherlands have begun to promote eating insects to children. On October 14, a primary school student in the province was exposed to a new eating experience of eating mealworms and other insects as a "sustainable" meat substitute, according to RTV Oost, a local media outlet in the Dutch province of Overijssel.
It is part of a curriculum package on healthy and sustainable food, which the province has already provided to 100 local primary schools. The aim is to "achieve behavioural change through unbiased children" and give this "sustainable food" a future. The action sparked controversy in the Netherlands, with some lawmakers criticizing that "children are being treated like guinea pigs." ”
Screenshot of the report of the Dutch media "RTV Oost"
According to RTV Oost, the students who tried to eat insects came from a public primary school called De Octopus in the city of Zwolle, Haut IJsselmeer. Some mealworms (commonly known as breadworms, whose larvae are rich in protein) were handed out on their plates, and after initial hesitation, the students carefully put mealworms in their mouths.
When the taste buds began to react to the unfamiliar food, some students had a smile on their faces: "It tastes like nuts." But the video from the scene showed some students frowning and embarrassed while chewing.
More than mealworms on the elementary school's menu that day, the students also tasted dishes made with lupines and other insects, according to RTV Oost. Separately, Gert Harm ten Bolscher, an official from the province's Department of Agriculture, showed up at the elementary school to taste the insects with students.
The day's activities were reportedly part of a course package on healthy and sustainable food, developed by the Wageningen University and Research Centre in the Netherlands, with the goal of "achieving behavior change through unbiased children" and accepting alternative protein sources in addition to common protein sources such as meat and dairy.
RTV Oost was blunt in the report, calling it about getting "schoolchildren to eat mealworms as a meat substitute" and "because, if they appreciate it, it has a future." ”
The report also mentioned that the province of Overijssel has provided such curriculum packages to 100 primary schools in the province, so that students can learn more about healthy and sustainable food.
However, this action in the province of Ober IJsselmeer was not welcomed by everyone. Dutch director Peter Vlemmix criticized on Twitter on the 15th: "Parents should not accept this." Your child is not an experiment. ”
Dutch lawmaker Harm Beertema also accused on the 16th: "Children are being treated like guinea pigs... A spectacle, right before you. ”
Separately, Dutch political commentator and moderator Eva Vlaardingerbroek pointed out that this reflects "the full launch of the World Economic Forum agenda".
Last May, the World Economic Forum (WEF) promoted the EU's new plan to use mealworms in food to reduce meat consumption. At the time, the WEF said the European Union had ruled that larval-stage mealworms were safe to eat and that it would soon be available as a "new food". The WEF affirmed the EU's plan, saying insects are not only a nutritious food source, but also consume fewer resources than conventional livestock.
In May this year, four primary schools in the UK also participated in a study of "alternative proteins" such as eating bugs. Students were given a food called VeXo, which is made from insects and plant proteins and looks like "traditional minced meat." According to the British newspaper i on May 30, the researchers hope to use the data from this study to understand how best to educate children about the "nutritional and environmental benefits" of eating insects.
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