Erstellt am: 26. 7. 2013 - 13:15 Uhr

Turmoil in Tunisia and protein from insects

Reality Check: Tunisia braced for violence after the assassination of an opposition politician; how to get over your aversion to the idea of eating insects.

Tunisia

There have been anti-government protests across Tunisia after the killing of opposition politician Mohamed Brahmi.

EPA/MOHAMED MESSARA

A member of the secular, Arab nationalist Popular Front party, Brahmi was shot by two gunmen as he was in his car just outside his home. The assassination comes five months after a similar killing plunged the country into crisis. Today shops and banks are closed and all flights have been cancelled as Tunisia braces for more violence. So what lies at the root of the people's anger and why are people fed up with the the government led by the moderate Islamist ruling party, Ennahda? We hear from Patrick Smith, editor of the Africa Confidential newsletter:

Eating Insects

EPA/Martial Trezzini

Earlier this year, the United Nations said eating more insects would help reduce world hunger. Compared to meat from, for example cattle, protein from insects is a lot more efficient to produce – less water is needed and less CO2 is produced. And insects are full of nutrients. In many countries insects are a staple part of people’s diets and the UN estimates that 2 billion people around the world eat insects. In Western societies most people find the idea of putting creepy crawlies on our plate disgusting. But it's all just a question of psychology and changing people's attitudes.

Pat Crowley is the founder of a company that makes energy bars using cricket flour, with the aim of getting us used to the idea of eating insects. Joanna Bostock spoke to him and tasted one of the bars: