Regional daily journalists snacked on dead insects to help raise awareness a possible future global food crisis.

Michael Alexander, lead news feature writer at Dundee-based daily The Courier, convinced news editor Alan Richardson and features writer Gayle Ritchie to dine on delicacies including barbecue bamboo worms, leafcutter ants and June beetles as part of the Harper Adams University Edible Bug Challenge.

The challenge aims to highlight the fact that the world needs to secure supplies to account for an ever-increasing population, with protein-rich insects seen as a sustainable source of food.

Alan and Gayle, pictured below, were filmed giving their reviews of each dish for the newspaper’s website.

However, Michael admitted it took some convincing to get some willing volunteers at The Courier’s Kingsway offices.

He told HTFP: “It took a wee bit of effort to get people involved. Suddenly various colleagues had somewhere else they needed to be – ‘I’m a Courier Celebrity Get Me Out of Here!’ went the cry – but perseverance paid off and my persuasive journalistic skills resulted in Gayle and Alan playing ball/

“We had a rough plan, but there was no script – which shows if you watch the video.

“It certainly provided some light relief in the aftermath of the Brexit vote coverage. But don’t ask where my dodgy French accent came from near the start – It was certainly never my intention to provoke a diplomatic incident.”