The political talk of appropriating farmland for redistribution has unintended consequences. With rising costs I have considered, how ordinary South Africans were going to afford meat in the future.
The Business section of the Cape Times ran an interesting article which answered the question “Insect farms: investors see big profits in thinking small” Friday July 4th 2014.
This editorial confirmed that farm animals will be fed housefly larvae as the production of fly larvae is 15% cheaper than fish meal. The project near Cape Town was conceived by environmentalists and scientist racing to find protein alternatives as rising production of livestock feed such as soy gobbles up valuable farmland.
Since locals are oblivious to genetically modified food that is slowly being introduced into our food chain, I wonder who will object to fly larvae fed beef burgers. Recent media reports confirmed that azodiacarbonamide; a chemical used to make shoe rubber is used to soften our bread. Already meat and poultry are injected with brine which we cannot eat but pay for.
At the “International Food hospitality World” event held on the 28th of May at the International Convention Centre, a Malaysian Professor explained the link between the micro-biology of food and human behaviour. According to the Professor, Malaysian educational authorities were studying the influence of certain foods and its relationship with misbehaviour at school. This was a result of incidences that occurred at several educational facilities.
The future suggests that the wealthy will be eating fresh beef, fed natural products, the middle class will eat beef, fed fish meal and the working class will eat beef fed with housefly larvae.
Have we learnt nothing from the mad cow disease that ruined farming in England just a few years ago?
It seems as if those concerned with Halal and Kosher have more critical issues to worry about.
Cllr Yagyah Adams
Cape Muslim Congress