Eating insects as a food source, otherwise known as entomophagy, has long been an eating practice of people from different cultures and time periods. However, in the western world today, eating insects is deemed by many to be disgusting, unnatural, and overall inefficient. But … Why is that? Is it all true?
I know it sounds disgusting, but really, there are compelling reasons to reconsider our disgust towards eating insects and accepting its benefits. To learn more about the positives and overall inclusion of insects in the diet, I’ve talked to the president of Bug Club at Michigan State University, Nate Howder, a senior studying entomology and zoology.
To preface, there are no distinct health benefits of eating insects that are better than any other food source. Instead, as Howder puts it, “it’s simply a different way to get the protein your body needs.”
For many people, protein is primarily obtained from meat or plant-based sources such as nuts and beans. However, raising livestock for meat consumption comes with significant environmental costs.
Howder explains, “Plants are, far and away, the most efficient way to convert environmental nutrients into food.”
This efficiency is compromised when we rely on livestock, which require large amounts of resources like land, water, and feed. Insects, on the other hand, offer a more resource-efficient alternative.
“To produce the same amount of edible protein, a cricket needs only 1/6 the amount of feed compared to a cow,” Howder says. “It is clear that in terms of efficiently using the resources available to us, insects are the most efficient means to feed the most people.”
This efficiency is crucial in a world facing food insecurity and environmental degradation. By embracing entomophagy, we can feed more people while minimizing our ecological footprint. If consuming insects is more efficient in terms of land, water, feed, and cost, why is it so frowned upon in western society? Well, it largely comes from… colonialism and capitalism!
Entomophagy was practiced by and large by big sectors of the native population, and many colonists from the Age Of Exploration (15th-17th century) believed it to be lowly, unhygienic, and barbaric. This was also coupled with racist and classist divides between colonizers and natives, further othering the practices of native populations in the Americas.
Besides anti-colonial practices, in many parts of the world, insects have long been a dietary staple and are celebrated as cultural delicacies even today. Howder emphasizes the importance of respecting diverse culinary traditions.
“For most of the world,” Howder says, “Recipes involving insects are a piece of cultural heritage and should be respected as any other cultural dishes should be.”
There are many aspects of entomophagy that go beyond the first thought of repulsion or disgust. Eating insects is an acceptable and efficient way of gaining the right nutrients for your body, and the practice has long been abandoned by the western world due to ideas that it is unsanitary, non-efficient, and overall unappetizing. However, the practice of eating insects is well-practiced throughout history and in other cultures in the world. By understanding the cultural context and environmental benefits of entomophagy, we can challenge our preconceptions and embrace insects as a sustainable and nutritious food source for the future.