Why Eating Insects Could Be the Future of Sustainable Nutrition

When I first decided to tackle this topic, all I could think about was the scene from The Lion King where Timon and Pumbaa encouraged Simba to eat bugs. The quote, “Slimy, but satisfying,” kept coming to mind. Diving into the world of anthropophagy, or the practice of humans eating insects, I discovered some fascinating information regarding the environment, nutrition, and culture. Let’s learn about the cultural and psychological factors that influence the acceptance of eating insect-based foods.

The Rise in Entomophagy: Why Insects are the Next Food Frontier

You may be wondering why on earth this would be a trend? Looking at environmental impacts as well as sustainability, entomophagy offers an alternative to traditional protein sources. In livestock farming, there is a large requirement for land, water, and food to promote the growth and development of animals that will be used as a food source. This can be draining on the environment with population growth leading to a higher demand for food supply, deforestation for pastureland, potential for greenhouse gas emission, and a need for alternative, less evasive, food sources.

Not only are they better for the environment, but edible insects pack a punch when it comes to their nutrition profile. These insects offer high protein, containing 9 essential amino acids, healthy fat sources, vitamins, minerals, and a good source of fiber. The fiber is chitin, found in the exoskeleton, showing evidence of its benefits to the gut microbiome. Despite growing evidence of the benefits of consuming insects, there is still an issue with acceptance into our daily diets. I will be honest: I also have a hard time wrapping my mind around this. 

Popular Edible Insects: A Global Perspective

While this practice is often considered taboo in Europe and North America, eighty percent of nations around the world eat insects regularly. One aspect to understand is that these insects are generally cooked, marinated, and/or seasoned before eating. They are also considered a delicacy in certain dishes throughout various cultures.

Overcoming the Yuck Factor: The Psychology of Eating Insects

Many regions that consume insects have this practice rooted in their traditional culture. Because of this, their willingness to eat insects is much higher than that of areas or cultures that do not incorporate insects into their cuisine. Being from a “non-insect eating” culture, I can attest that subscribing to this practice is not something I am very interested in. I have spent my entire life living with the understanding that if an insect is in your food, then it is dirty, or the place you are getting that meal from engages in substandard food safety practices. 

Because the entomophagy way of eating is not a common or traditional practice in European and Western cultures, the introduction to it can be tricky. Insects have a very different texture and flavor than most foods that are typically consumed. Eastern cultures, rooted in the consumption of insects, are more apt to eat unprocessed, fresh versions of insect-containing dishes. Processed versions of insects, such as cricket protein powder, flour, and other insect-containing additives, are the more accepted versions for European and North American cultures following this insectivore trend. 

The Future of Entomophagy: Challenges and Opportunities

With a growing need to develop alternative food sources outside of traditional livestock farming, entomophagy has become a serious consideration. However, as this is not a common practice within Western society, some hurdles must be addressed. One challenge is food safety, including insect toxicity, spoilage during conservation, nutrient stability with longer shelf life, contamination with pathogens, and potential allergen risk. The biggest issue to contend with is consumer acceptance and palatability. 

However, there is an opportunity associated with entomophagy in the department of food sustainability and climate preservation. With growing interest in this area, more and more studies are being conducted on nutrition potential, safe farming/harvesting practices, and processing into edible products. Coproducts from insect farming are also studied and regulated as they are used as fertilizer for conventional (regulated by the Department of Agriculture) and organic (regulated by the USDA National Organic Program) farming. There are some products that can be purchased if you are interested in trying the Insectivore trend. If you have any comments or opinions, please place them below.

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2. _{Jantzen da Silva Lucas, A., Menegon de Oliveira, L., da Rocha, M., & Prentice, C. (2020). Edible insects: An alternative of nutritional, functional and bioactive compounds. Food chemistry, 311, 126022. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2019.126022} 

3. _{Stull, V. J., Finer, E., Bergmans, R. S., Febvre, H. P., Longhurst, C., Manter, D. K., Patz, J. A., & Weir, T. L. (2018). Impact of Edible Cricket Consumption on Gut Microbiota in Healthy Adults, a Double-blind, Randomized Crossover Trial. Scientific reports, 8(1), 10762. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-018-29032-2} 

4. _{Viacrucis, J. (2024, June 13). List of edible insects: Popular insects eaten around the world. AI Garden Composer. https://gardencomposer.com/edible-insects-list/} 

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