It is widely accepted that by 2050 the world will host 9 billion people
(FAO, 2013). To cope this number, current food production will need to almost
double. Land is scarce and expanding the area devoted to farming is
rarely a viable or sustainable option (FAO, 2013).
The deficit in the production of protein has become one of the most important
problems in Europe; in fact, about 80% of European protein crop
requirement is imported from non-EU countries (Van Huis, 2013; Hoek et
al., 2013; Oonincx and de Boer, 2012).
Without these premises, insects can become a sustainable production for
several reasons such as: a) high conversion ratios (FAO, 2013); b) reduced
production of pollutants and GHGs (Van Huis et al., 2013; Rossitto et al.,
2017); c) possible biological breeding; d) reduced use of soil and water compared
to livestock and pigs.
This research applying, for the first time, the Rasch model on 31 items of
a survey on EU and extra UE citizens to assess the respondents availability
of the to accept insects and/or insect-based products in their diet. The Rasch
model allows to understand which steps can be taken to increase the consumption
of insect by consumer.
