Is eating insects part of the answer to feeding the estimated 9 billion people of the world in 2050?
As world population and food prices rise, scientists are continually looking at different ways to feed the world of the near future, including entomorphagy, or the human consumption of insects.
However, as the embedded National Geographic video, ‘Eating Insects’ maintains, insect eating is not a new trend by any means. Archeologists have found evidence of it dating back to early humans.
Today, almost 1400 insect species show up on menus around the world, including in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Also pointed out is that advocates of insect eating say that it’s environmentally sound, as producing a pound of caterpillar takes a tenth of the resources as a pound of beef. Eating insects can be part of a pretty healthy diet too, as insects are full of vitamins and minerals.
Despite these benefits, most Americans, Canadians, Australians, Europeans and people from many other countries find the idea of eating insects unpalatable, even revolting.
Why is this? Is it because we are taught from an early age to avoid insects, as the insect eating advocate in the video suggests? How do we even know what they taste like until we get over our preconceptions and try eating high–quality, well prepared insects?
Perhaps you’ve tried them before? If not, would you be willing to give insects a go, or do you find the idea too disgusting?
If you are now wondering “how best to deep fry a scorpion, or make a taco out of wax worms”, or prepare other such delights, check out Girl Meets Bug.
Cooked water beetles, Typhoon Santa Monica – images CC licensed by George Arriola
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