EdibleBugShop(whichsuppliesAttica)hasbeen
selected to receive grant funds and mentoring
throughitsSeedsof Changeaccelerator.Globally,
the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization
predictstheedible insectmarketwillbeworth
$1.8billionby 2023,pointingout thatinsects
don’trequirelandclearingandcanliveonorganic
waste, while being a rich source of protein,
calcium,ironandzinc.
Anotheranswertofeedingourfuturepopula-
tion(10billionby 2050 is theprediction)could
be other alt-proteins. Researchers at Chicago-
basedmanagementconsultingfirmA.T.Kearney
suggestthatby2040,upto 60 percentof‘meat’
won’t actually be meat, and willinstead come
fromanimalcellsgrownina laborplant-based
imposters.InSiliconValleyinparticular,therace
is onfora plant-basedproductthattastesandfeels
likerealmeat.BeyondMeatwasthefirststartupto
experimentwithmeatlikereplacements,whilePat
Brown,founderandCEOof ImpossibleFoods,is
ona controversialmissiontoreplaceallanimal
agricultureanddeep-seafishingwithplant-based,
nutritionallysuperioralternativesby2035.
Whilea lab-grownsteakis,bygenerousesti-
mates,still 10 yearsaway,a futureinwhichwecanenjoyour
favouritefoodiedelightswithoutthemoraland environmental
repercussions is an idea worth munching on.USTAINABLEDININGisn’tnew,
butas ourclimateemergencyacceler-
ates,sotoodofoodinnovations.Dan
Hunter,headchefat Braein Victoria,
forexample,sawhisrestaurantnamed
a runner-upintheWorld’s 50 Best
Sustainable Restaurant Award last
year for his waste-management system, which
resultsin onlysixwheeliebinsonthestreetonbin
night, from an operation that seats 45. Jock
ZonfrilloatOranainAdelaideemploysfull-time
foragersandconnectswithFirstNationspeople
tounderstandtraditionalingredients,simultane-
ouslyreducingthe mileageon his produce and
preservingthehistoryofAustralianbushtucker.
And Ben Shewry at Melbourne’s Attica is the
ambassadorof theAustralianMarineConservation
Society’s GoodFish project; chefs who sign up
pledgenottosourceorserveseafoodthatis red-
listedinthesociety’sSustainableSeafoodGuide.
Somearelookingfurtherafield,to bugs(and
nottheBalmainkind).Scientistsarestudyingthe
nutritionalprofilesofnativeinsectstogeta better
ideaof whichonescouldbefarmedandconsumed
sustainablywhilestill offeringa decentserveof
protein.ByronBaystartupGrilohashaditscricketenergybars
stockedin IGAsupermarketsin NewSouthWalesandQueensland,
CATHERINE SERVEL/TRUNK ARCHIVE/SNAPPER IMAGESand Mars Food recently announced Australianedibleinsect farm
TWOTOTRY
Apairofnew
Italian-ishjoints
worthleavingthe
housefor
CICCIABELLA
ThenewBondiosteria
fromtheIcebergscrew,
helmedbyformer
AcmechefMitchOrr,
hasthepotentialto
‘doa Totti’s’when
it comestopopularity
withSydneysiders.
cicciabella.com.auPASTORE
Chef-restaurateurScott
Picketthasjustopened
thedoorstohislatest,
Pastore(aftertheItalian
wordfor‘shepherd’)
in Melbourne.
pickettandco.com/pastore... Imagine the menu of the future?
Bush tucker, insect snacks, meat labs and the new responsible eating.By Alexandra English
FOOD169 HARPERSBAZAAR.COM.AU December 2019