A high-ranking Indian official has recommended that citizens start eating rats to avoid rising food prices and safeguard the nation's stocks of grain, commonly eaten by the rodents. Urban rats could carry disease but, says Joe Roman, a conservation biologist at the University of Vermont, "If you get over the squeamish factor, and you know where these rats have been, sure, it could work. It's a great source of protein."
In fact, as global meat prices have soared, rat has become more popular in parts of Southeast Asia. This increase in popularity has, in turn, driven up the price of rat meat four-fold.