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Overcoming Resistance: Insects Appear on Italian Plates Against All Odds

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In a small room near the Alps in northern Italy, millions of crickets are being processed to become food despite initial resistance. The crickets are frozen, boiled, dried, and pulverized to create a light brown flour used in various food products such as pasta, bread, energy bars, and even sports drinks. Italy, known for its culinary traditions, has traditionally resisted the idea of eating insects, with the government even taking steps to ban their use in pizza and pasta production. However, several Italian producers have been experimenting with cricket-based pasta, pizza, and snacks.

The shift towards insect consumption in Italy is driven by sustainability concerns. Insect farming requires significantly less water and land compared to traditional livestock farming, making it a more environmentally friendly option. Insects are also rich in vitamins, fiber, minerals, and amino acids, making them a nutritious superfood. However, the main challenge to widespread adoption of insect-based food is the price, as it remains more expensive than traditional alternatives.

In addition to cost, social acceptance plays a role in the resistance to insect food in Italy. The country prides itself on its Mediterranean diet, and some view insect products as a threat to Italian culinary traditions. Concerns about the potential health effects of consuming insects and the fear of deviating from established eating habits contribute to the opposition.

Italy is not the only country divided on the issue of insect food. Poland and other European countries have seen debates and political disputes surrounding the topic. However, countries like Austria, Belgium, and the Netherlands have shown more openness to insect consumption.

As the global population continues to grow, finding sustainable food sources becomes crucial. Insect consumption is seen as a potential solution to meet the rising demand while minimizing the environmental impact. With the recent approval of insect consumption by the EU, the insect food sector is expected to grow, leading to potential price reductions and increased availability.

Producers like Ivan Albano, who runs the Italian Cricket Farm, see insect farming as an environmentally friendly and sustainable practice that could play a role in addressing global food challenges. Despite initial resistance, more people are showing curiosity and ordering cricket-based products, indicating a shifting mindset towards insect consumption. The hope is that as awareness and acceptance increase, insect food will become a viable option to feed the growing population while minimizing ecological impact.

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Beauty News Trending

Zomky Tenzin from Belgium Acquires Title of Manappuram SAJ Miss Glam World 2023

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Zomky Tenzin from Belgium bagged the Manappuram and SAJ presents Miss Glam World 2023 title along with Aayusha Pyakurel from Nepal as first runner-up and Samruddhi Shetty from India as second runner-up. The fourth edition of Miss Glam World was conducted on June 21st at Le Meridien, Kochi. Renowned for their expertise in event production, Pegasus Global Pvt Ltd took charge of organizing a truly remarkable and noteworthy event. With their unwavering commitment to excellence, Pegasus Global Pvt Ltd proved once again why they are highly regarded in the industry, delivering an event that surpassed expectations and left a lasting impact on all those involved.

Sajan Varghese, CMD, SAJ Group Hotels and Resorts, and Dr Ajit Ravi, Chairman, Pegasus, crowned the winners of the Miss Glam World pageant with 13 beauties from around the world. Out of 40 contestants who applied for the Miss Glam World pageant, 16 were selected as finalists. Unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances such as visa cancellation and personal challenges, three contestants could not make it to the finals.

Dr Kuriachan (International Motivational Trainer), Rita Mathan (Owner, Pro Nails Studio), Brandina Lubuli (Mrs Glam World 2022 Winner) and Alesia Raut (Russian Model and Groomer) were on the judging panel. The winners of the subtitles were selected by a panel of eminent persons.

Parakkat Jewelers crafted the exquisite gold crown presented to the winners of Miss Glam World.

Sub Title Winners

Miss Glam World Solidarity – Miss Singapore

Miss Glam World Fashionista – Miss Australia

Miss Glam World Talent – Miss Sri Lanka

Miss Glam World Sensational – Miss Nepal

Miss Glam World Diligent – Miss Zambia

Miss Glam World Inspiring – Miss Japan

Miss Glam World Vivicious – Miss Italy

Miss Glam World Shining Star – Miss Iran

Miss Glam World Ramp Walk – Miss India

Miss Glam World Tenacious – Miss Serbia

Miss Glam World National Costume – Miss Belgium

Miss Glam World Adorable – Miss Taiwan

Miss Glam World Renaissance – Miss Russia

Manappuram Finance Ltd and SAJ Group Hotels and Resorts is the main partners of Miss Glam World 2023 organized by Pegasus Global Pvt Ltd. DQUE Watch, Unique Times, Alcazar and DQUE Face and Body Skin Friendly Soap are powered by Partners.

Co-partners are FICF, Parakkat Resort, Kalpana International, Times New, UT World, Aiswaria Advertisements, Europe Times, Photogenic Fashion and Weddings, UT TV, Neenu Pro The Sound Experts, Green Media, Good Day Hotels and Resorts, Akshay Inco and JD Institute of Fashion Technology.

The main objective behind organizing this competition is to showcase the rich and diverse cultural values of the country, while also promoting tourism. Pegasus Global Pvt Ltd distinguishes itself as the only company in the world that has chosen to eliminate the widely recognized Bikini round from their pageants. Instead, they prioritize talent and personality as the key criteria for evaluation.

Julia Ann Coutts from Australia, Zomky Tenzin from Belgium, Samruddhi Shetty from India, Aida from Iran, Sandra Lorenani from Italy, Risa Nakatani from Japan, Aayusha Pyakurel from Nepal, Darya Pyzhyanova from Russia, Venera Stanisavlievic from Serbia, Genevieve Tan from Singapore, Ruweena Sammani Gamaachchi Withanage from Srilanka, Chiu Ke-En from Taiwan and Laurisca Kalongo from Zambia were the contestants.

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Olivier Vandecasteele: Iran jails Belgian aid worker for 28 years – family

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According to his relatives, an Iranian court has sentenced a Belgian aid worker to 28 years in prison on unspecified allegations. During a brief trip to Tehran in February, 41-year-old Olivier Vandecasteele was detained and charged with espionage.

His family said on Wednesday that they were notified of his sentencing during a meeting with the prime minister of Belgium. Although Iran did not confirm the report, it was announced just days after Belgium’s constitutional court blocked a contentious prisoner exchange agreement.

Iran wants to trade Mr. Vandecasteele for Assadollah Assadi, who is said to be its top intelligence agent in Europe. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison in Belgium last year for attempting to bomb a demonstration of an Iranian opposition party operating in exile.

Mr. Vandecasteele spent six years working for the Norwegian Refugee Council and other humanitarian organisations in Iran. He fled the nation last year, but in order to close his flat in Tehran, he returned in February against Belgian government advice.

He was detained by members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) during the brief visit and sent to Tehran’s notorious Evin prison, where several US and European expatriates are being held on spying-related allegations. His family claims that while he was being held, he was subjected to “inhumane conditions” that amounted to torture.

They claim he has experienced different health issues as a result of being held in solitary confinement for the whole time in a basement cell without windows.

According to Mr. Vandecasteele’s family, Belgian consular representatives were able to communicate with him on November 28 for the first time in seven weeks. He said that neither his Iranian attorneys nor Belgian diplomats were aware of his appearance before a court.

He said that without being informed of the specifics of the allegations against him, he was found guilty of all of them during the hearing. His court-appointed attorney did not even make an appearance in court. Additionally, Mr. Vandecasteele disclosed to the consular representatives that he had begun a partial hunger strike in mid-November to protest his treatment. On Wednesday, his family said in a statement that they had been told by Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo that he had been given a 28-year jail term and that a prisoner swap was the only way to secure his release.

The office of Mr. De Croo claimed that he had pledged to “continue to pursue all potential paths that could lead to Olivier Vandecasteele’s homecoming.”

In order to ratify the prisoner exchange agreement with Iran, which would allow Assadollah Assadi to be transferred back to Tehran to complete the remainder of his sentence in exchange for Mr. Vandecasteele’s release, his administration introduced a law in June.

However, the Iranian opposition group that Assadi and human rights advocates were targeting argued that doing so would violate the victims’ right to life and run the risk of inciting Iranian operatives to commit crimes overseas to stifle dissent.

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Entertainment News Trending

Jeanne Dielman: Film directed by woman picked as best ever

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An expert panel has selected a female-directed movie as the best ever made.  The British Film Institute’s Sight and Sound survey placed Jeanne Dielman, 23 quai du Commerce, 1080 Bruxelles, directed by Chantal Akerman, in first place.

It is the first time a female director’s film has made it into the top ten. The poll, which is conducted every ten years, has drawn flak for its lack of diversity.  For 40 years, Citizen Kane by Orson Welles occupied the top slot. Vertigo, a film by Alfred Hitchcock, surpassed it in 2012.

Jeanne Dielman, released in 1975, is the story of a Belgian widow who turns to prostitution to make ends meet, but kills one of her clients. The film runs for almost three and a half hours.

It has been praised as a “masterpiece” and a groundbreaking work of feminist film, despite not  being as well known outside of the field of film criticism as past winners. The 65-year-old Belgian director Chantal Akerman passed away in 2015.

The poll’s contributor, writer and film critic Lillian Crawford, called the movie the “essential text” of female cinema.

“Jeanne Dielman isn’t a film that I would say to someone getting into cinema ‘Oh, this is the first film you absolutely must see’,” she told the BBC.

“I think if you’re going to work through the list, maybe do it in reverse order and sort of build towards it, because it’s quite an ask to invite people to see this.

“But in an academic sense and thinking about cinema and encouraging more people to seek out experimental film, films by women, and in terms of the history of feminist cinema, this is absolutely the sort of essential text.”

In an article for the British Film Institute, Laura Mulvey, a professor of film studies at Birkbeck University, called the vote a “sudden shake-up”.

In 2012, Touki Bouki by Djibril Diop Mambéty and Jeanne Dielman, both directed by black filmmakers, were the only two black films to be included on the list.

The quantity and variety of those consulted have grown over time. The best 10 movies of the year were chosen by 1,639 critics, programmers, curators, archivists, and academics.

Vertigo, the previous winner, came in at number two, followed by Citizen Kane at number three.

Fourth place went to Yasujiro Ozu’s Tokyo Story, and fifth place went to Wong Kar Wai’s In the Mood for Love.

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The Kinder chocolate factory has been ordered to close due to salmonella outbreaks

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After being linked to dozens of salmonella cases, a Kinder chocolate factory in Belgium has been ordered to close.

The Belgian food safety authority has also ordered the recall of all Kinder products produced at Ferrero’s Arlon factory. Salmonella cases suspected to be linked to Kinder chocolate have been reported in the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Belgium. Ferrero has issued an apology and admitted to “internal failures.”

The factory was ordered to close by Belgium’s food safety authority, the AFSCA, after Ferrero failed to provide complete information for its investigation.

The investigation is still ongoing, according to the AFSCA, and the factory will only be allowed to reopen if Ferrero can provide the necessary assurances that it is in compliance with food safety regulations. In a statement, Belgian Agriculture Minister David Clarinval said: “Such a decision is never easy to make, but the current situation necessitates it. Our citizens’ food security must never be overlooked.”

All Kinder Surprise, Kinder Surprise Maxi, Kinder Mini Eggs, and Kinder Schokobons products are affected by the recall.

The AFSCA has also requested that companies remove the products from their shelves and that consumers refrain from eating them. Ferrero recalled some of its Kinder chocolates from stores in the United States on Thursday due to concerns about salmonella contamination. A number of Kinder Surprise chocolate egg products were also recalled in the UK earlier this week.

The UK’s Food Standards Agency announced on Friday evening that none of the recalled products should be consumed, regardless of their best before date.

All of the sweets in question were produced in the same Belgian factory.

In Asia, including Hong Kong and Singapore, some Kinder chocolates have been recalled. Ferrero previously described the recalls as “precautionary,” claiming that none of its Kinder products had tested positive for salmonella when they were released for sale.

It came after an outbreak linked to Kinder Surprise eggs infected more than 60 people in the UK, the majority of whom were young children.

On Wednesday, the European Commission announced that it was investigating dozens of suspected salmonella cases linked to chocolate consumption in at least nine countries, including the United Kingdom, Germany, France, and Belgium.

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News

Protest breaks out in Brussels over custodial death

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The custodial death of a young man in Brussels has triggered a serious protest across the country, leaving several police officers and protesters injured.

The convey of a member of the Belgium royal family has also been attacked during the protest.

Several people have been booked in connection with the protest.

The protesters have partially destroyed a police station situated in the capital city of Belgium.

The identity of the person who has died in the police custody has not yet been revealed by the European media.

As per an explanatory statement released by the police, the victim has been arrested during a routine check for restriction violators. The statement, released by the police, says the person has fallen unconscious and later died shortly after he was arrested.

The incident has triggered a serious global attention. A serious investigation has been demanded on the incident.

The development has inflicted a serious injury over the image of the European country, which houses the main buildings of the European Union, which is the most powerful economic union established in the continent of Europe and in the world.

Neither the European Union not those countries which lead the union has responded to the development yet.

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Belgium: Princess Delphine meets her half brother for the first time

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In a surprise move, Belgium Princess Delphine has met her half brother, King Philippe, personally for the first time in her life.

The princess was an illegitimate child of former King Albert.

It took years for the princess to make the king accept her as his child. It was made possible with the help of a lengthy legal battle.

The meeting, thus, has attained huge media attention. It has been an emotion filled function.

It has been like a reunion of two beautiful souls.

The royal family has given a warm welcome to the princess.

The princess now shares the same royal status as her half brother, who is the legitimate child of former King Albert.

The function has invited wide public attention. Many have taken to social media platforms to share their opinion regarding the meeting.

Most of them have shared positive views about the meeting.

The meeting has been aggressively covered by International media houses.

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Belgian ex-King’s love child seeks sane rights as her father’s legitimate children

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The love child of the former Belgian King Albert II has approached a court in Belgian seeking the same rights and titles as her father’s legitimate children.

The case has been taken to the court by artist Delphine Boël.

Marking an end to the decade long legal war launched by the love child, King Albert admitted he was Ms Boël’s father early this year.

Though Ms Boel’s mother, Baroness Sybille de Selys Longchamps, never married the king, she had an 18-year affair with the King. It was before he become the King.

It was in the year 1999 that rumours of an illegitimate child first emerged. It was an unauthorised biography about Albert’s wife Queen Paola that publicised the story.

The report fueled a royal scandal and media gossip in Belgium.

It was during an interview taken during the year 2005 that Ms. Boël first alleged on the record that King Albert was her biological father.

Actually, it was when he lost his immunity to prosecution that she opened court proceedings.

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UK likely to include more countries to its travel quarantine list

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The European country of the United Kingdom is likely to include more countries to its travel quarantine list in a bid to defend the country from the threat posed by the Covid-19 outbreak.

At present, several countries such as Belgium, Bahamas and Andorra are in the list. This means that those coming to the UK from the said countries will have to self-isolate for at least fourteen days.

As per a latest report, France may also find a place in the list. The UK has not yet specifically mentioned which all countries will enter the list.

Recently, the UK has warned its citizens not to travel to Belgium, Andorra and Bahamas if there is no urgency.

There is no surprise that Belgium has occupied the top position in the list. Belgium has one of the highest coronavirus case rates in Europe at 49.2 per 100,000 people. To understand the depth of the issue, it is important to compare the case rates of other European countries with Belgium: in the UK, it is 14.3 per 100,000; and in Spain, it is 27.4 per 100,000.

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Belgium expresses apology for colonial abuse

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Belgium’s King Philippe has admitted that what his country had done to the Democratic Republic of Congo during the colonial period was wrong.

In a letter to the president of the African country, the King of Belgium has expressed his deep regret for the wrongs his country committed during the dark period of colonial rule.

The crucial letter has been sent to respect the 60th Independence Day of Democratic Republic of Congo.

The African country – now a huge military power – had been under the control of Belgium till the country secured independence in the year 1960.

Needless to say, the colonial rule over the African country was brutal. Millions of locals lost their lives during that dark period.

Colonial atrocity was a forgotten topic. It was – probably purposefully –  avoided from most high profile discussion tables in the past.

It was the custodial death of a Black American that brought the subject back to spotlight. It even torched a global movement for the betterment of black and for the elimination of racial discrimination, named Black Lives Matters.

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