BUG burgers will be on the menu at an barbecue with a difference this weekend in Glasgow.

Celebrity chefs have been urged to consider incorporating protein-rich insects into dishes as a sustainable alternative to beef, chicken and pork.

And the public will get the chance to sample meat-less treats containing dried locusts, grasshoppers, mealworms and ground insects on Saturday in the Gorbals, as part of Glasgow Caledonian University’s Community Science Day.

The insects, which will be mixed with cauliflower, mushrooms and yoghurt, are being served up to highlight food sustainability during Glasgow Science Festival.

Dr John Butcher, lecturer in Food Bioscience and Microbiology at GCU, sourced the insects from a specialist supplier in Holland.

He said: “Although in the west we are not really used to eating insects, billions of people are eating them every day as a source of high protein.

“Around 80% of the countries in the world eat insects, it’s just not popular in North America or Europe.

“A lot of people choose vegetarianism or veganism not because of health issues but mostly for emotive reasons. They are compassionate, they feel that what is happening around farming is cruel or unnecessary.

“The thought is that if you farm insects the footprint they have is a lot smaller than if you farm other traditional forms of livestock, cows, pigs, sheep. You can feed them organic waste, such as potato peelings, and they can thrive on that. The big bonus is that they are all rich in protein.”

The food tasting event is being held at Barn Youth Centre, in the Gorbals, on Saturday.