In the guide below, we list and discuss some of the potential pros and cons of eating insects and bugs.
(Note – the information in this guide is general information only. It is not professional advice, or a substitute for professional advice. See a suitably qualified expert for professional advice on matters such as health and nutrition)
Summary – Potential Pros & Cons Of Eating Insects & Bugs
Potential Pros
There’s Different Types & Species Of Edible Insects
Insects Can Be Eaten Whole/Unprocessed, Or, In Processed Food Products
Insects Have Been Consumed Throughout Human History, & Billions Of People Worldwide Currently Eat Insects
Many People May Currently Eat Insects In Regular Food Products Without Knowing It
There’s Multiple Examples Of People Starting To Eat Insects In Some Major Countries
Insect Farms Are Already In Operation In Some Major Countries
Some Evidence May Suggest That The Edible Insect Market May Grow In The Future In Major Countries
Some People Like The Taste
Is A Separate Source Of Protein To Both Animal & Plant Proteins
Some Insect Food Products May Contain Good Nutrition (Other Than Protein)
The Claimed Nutritional Concerns, & Also Health & Food Safety Concerns With Insects, May Apply To Other Foods Too, & Might Have Mitigation Options
May Have Several Sustainability & Environmental Benefits
May Have Benefits For Wildlife
Insect Farming May Have Several Of It’s Own Potential Benefits
Insects May Be More Readily Available In Some Locales Than Other Foods
Potential Nutrition & Sustainability Benefits Of Edible Insects Might Be Used In The Marketing Of Edible Insect Products
Some Argue That Insects As A Food Source May Currently Be Underutilized, & May Be One Of Multiple Options To Help Meet Future Food Demand, Along With Addressing Other Global Issues
Insects Might Be Used For Other Uses, & In Other Products, Other Than As Edible Insect Food For Humans
Potential Cons
The Insect Protein Market Is Still Small Compared To The Market For Beef
There May Be Nutritional Issues, & Nutritional Tradeoffs Involved With Eating Insects To Consider
May Be Other Health Or Food Safety Concerns With Insects As Food
Some Argue That Some Processed Insect Food Products Aren’t As Good For Health As Whole Insects
Using Insects As Animal Feed May Contribute To Several Problems
Not Everyone Likes The Taste
There Isn’t A Wide Cultural Openness Or Acceptance Of Eating Insects & Bugs In Some Countries
Insect Population Numbers May Be Declining In Some Local Areas Due To Various Environmental Factors
Insects Are Seen As A ‘Food Of The Poor’ In Some Regions Of The World
Increased Production Of Insects May Have Practical Challenges
Other Factors May Make It Challenging For The Insect Market To Grow Quickly In Some Countries
Potential Pros Of Eating Insects & Bugs
There’s Different Types & Species Of Edible Insects
Such as crickets, worms, beetles, grasshoppers, ants, caterpillars, and more
This range of edible insects provides different options for consumers, and also provides different nutritional profiles for each type and species of insect.
Insects Can Be Eaten Whole/Unprocessed, Or, In Processed Food Products
Two of the main ways to eat insects might be:
– If insects are prepared in a safe and proper way, they can be eaten whole/unprocessed
– But, they can also be used in different processed food products, particularly as an insect protein
One example of a processed insect food product is insect protein powder.
time.com mentions that (paraphrased) cricket meal/cricket powder produced in Madagascar has several benefits, such as being used for famine relief, in school lunch programs and in tuberculosis treatment centers
*Insects can also be eaten in other ways, such as indirectly through feed for livestock. We discuss this elsewhere in this guide.
Insects Have Been Consumed Throughout Human History, & Billions Of People Worldwide Currently Eat Insects
Various different reports indicate that:
– Humans have been eating insects for tens of thousands of years throughout history
– Insects are eaten as a part of meals for around two billion people worldwide
– time.com indicates that in Madagascar: ‘… two-thirds of Madagascar’s population already eat insects in some form, usually as a seasonal snack’
– Insects are a delicacy in some countries, and are also part of fine dining or niche eating experiences in other countries
Many People May Currently Eat Insects In Regular Food Products Without Knowing It
eatcrickster.com mentions that (paraphrased) in some developed countries, commonly consumed processed food products may contain a certain amount of insect fragments.
It may be unavoidable to make products without at least a small amount of insect fragments, and other ‘defects’ in the product.
So, people in developed countries may have been consuming insects and insect fragments indirectly without knowing it.
There’s Multiple Examples Of People Starting To Eat Insects In Some Major Countries
In The US
Potential examples might include:
– Grasshoppers are sold at some baseball games
– Some chefs have developed insect recipes and may offer special tasting events
– There’s been brands that have sold some products with insect ingredients in them
One example is door delivered snack products with ingredients in them
– Nutritional information and recipes on edible insects may be available in various places online, or on apps
In Canada
– Some grocery chains have stocked locally produced cricket powder at certain points in time
In Other Countries
In different countries, people have consumed grasshopper protein powder in different ways
It’s possible that some people aren’t quite ready to eat whole insects, and insect protein powder may be seen as a ‘gateway’ to eating whole insects
Other products with insect ingredients or insect protein in them may also be eaten in different countries
Insect Farms Are Already In Operation In Some Major Countries
Some examples include but aren’t limited to:
– washingtonpost.com (paraphrased) mentions a Canadian bug farm that ‘… raises about 100 million free-range crickets every six weeks’. This farm also produces mealworms.
– time.com indicates that ‘Crickets … [are] already being farmed successfully in Canada for both human and animal consumption’
– theguardian.com (paraphrased) mentions that there is a working insect farm and visitor attraction in Pembrokeshire
– time.com indicates that there is a cricket farm operating in Madagascar, that produces ‘… several pounds of ground cricket meal a day’, and that (paraphrased) it’s going to expand for a greater cultivation capacity
And, there are other insect farms in operation other than those mentioned above.
Some Evidence May Suggest That The Edible Insect Market May Grow In The Future In Major Countries
This evidence might relate to:
– Projections for future economic growth of the edible insect market
‘The edible insects market will grow to $6.3bn by 2030 according to a report …’ (theguardian.com)
… the insect protein market could reach $8bn by 2030, up from less than $1bn today … (time.com)
– Some research suggesting that the consumer sentiment amongst some consumer groups is that some people are more willing to try insects
‘Research … found 42% of British consumers are willing to try insects.’ (theguardian.com)
The introduction of edible insects to children and schools may also impact the uptake of edible insects in younger generations.
– Repeat customers for companies offering products with insect ingredients in them
theguardian.com also mentions that (paraphrased) some brands that make products like snacks with insect ingredients in them have had repeat customers and won awards
Some People Like The Taste
Especially the taste of fresh insects over dried insects for example
The smell of fresh roasted insects can also appeal to some people in some countries
There may also be specific insects and bugs that taste better than others
theguardian.com for example mentions that ‘… free-range, seasonal arthropods roasted in their own oils [and fresh insects] are much tastier [than …] dried specimens from a packet …’
time.com mentions that (paraphrased) the Sakondry (an insect in Madagaskar) is a tasty (in terms of taste and consistency) for some people
Is A Separate Source Of Protein To Both Animal & Plant Proteins
Insect protein is a separate source of protein to primary sources of protein in both animals and plants
Animal and plant proteins are found in foods like meat, dairy, eggs, tofu, beans and nuts.
We outline some of the potential differences in these proteins in this guide
Some Insect Food Products May Contain Good Nutrition (Other Than Protein)
Apart from protein, some insects and insect food products may offer other ‘good’ nutrition according to multiple reports
Different insect types, and different insect food products, may each offer different nutrition profiles though
The Claimed Nutritional Concerns, & Also Health & Food Safety Concerns With Insects, May Apply To Other Foods Too, & Might Have Mitigation Options
We’ve listed some of the claimed potential nutritional concerns, and also health and food safety concerns of edible insects in the ‘cons’ section of this guide
– Some Of These Concerns Apply To Other Foods Too
It’s worth pointing out that those potential concerns may apply to other foods in some ways too
As one example, some reports identify that the type of protein that insects offer may not be as good as some animal or plant foods containing protein
As another example, insects may not be the only food with chemical contamination and allergy concerns.
Some fruits and vegetables for example may contain notable amounts of pesticide residue
People may also be allergic to some nuts and seafoods, which are non insect sources of protein
– Food Safety Hazards In Insects Might Have Ways To Be Mitigated
wikipedia.org lists various ways that potential food safety hazards with insects can be controlled/managed (or mitigated) in their guide.
May Have Several Sustainability & Environmental Benefits
Some of those potential sustainability and environmental benefits might include, but aren’t limited to:
– Reducing emissions from agricultural activities
– Using less agricultural resources, or, using them more efficiently
– Implementing elements of circular agriculture
– Reducing deforestation in some regions
– Plus other potential benefits
May Have Benefits For Wildlife
time.com mentions that (paraphrased) in Madagascar, locals eating Sakondry (a local insect) helped protect Lemurs and other endangered animals by reducing the hunting of these endangered animals with
They also mentions that: ‘… lemur poaching in the area [going] down by 30-50%’ (time.com)
Insect Farming May Have Several Of It’s Own Potential Benefits
Including but not limited to:
– Being More Versatile Than Some Other Forms Of Farming
theguardian.com indicates that (paraphrased) insects can be farmed anywhere, in any environment, in comparison to current agricultural systems that don’t have enough diversity to cater for different climates and landscapes
Having said this though, wikipedia.org also mentions (paraphrased) the variables and factors that farmers have to take into account for different insect species, and also insect farming in general
– May Provide An Income To Small Farmers, & Farmers In Low Income Regions
Some types of insect farming might be carried out with less resources and less overall requirements from an agricultural perspective.
For this reason, and other reasons, it may be a more suitable form of farming for farmers in lower income regions to earn an income.
eatcrickster.com provides more information on income ranges for established insect farmers
– Some Argue That Insect Farming Is More Ethical Than Other Forms Of Farming
Some point out that traditional industrial agriculture involving the farming of both livestock and crops involves slaughtering many insects via pesticides and other farming practices.
They may then point out that at least in insect farming, the insects are intentionally being farmed and slaughtered, and being put to use as food, or used somewhere else in the economy
– There’s A Free Range Farming Option
washingtonpost.com for example mentions that (paraphrased) there is an option to farm crickets in a free-range setting
Insects May Be More Readily Available In Some Locales Than Other Foods
theguardian.com (paraphrased) mentions that insects can easily be collected or farmed locally by individuals in some regions, which might make them more accessible and readily available than other types of food.
In addition to making insect collection and farming a possibility in more locations, it may benefit people in lower income parts of the world, or people in parts of the world that experience food issues related to food security or malnutrition.
Potential Nutrition & Sustainability Benefits Of Edible Insects Might Be Used In The Marketing Of Edible Insect Products
Brands might be able to promote nutrition and also sustainability as some of the potential key benefits of insect based products in their marketing in the future.
Some Argue That Insects As A Food Source May Currently Be Underutilized, & May Be One Of Multiple Options To Help Meet Future Food Demand, Along With Addressing Other Global Issues
Because insects aren’t produced or consumed on a wide scale in every country yet, some argue that insects are currently under utilized as a food source.
This may especially be the case if there’s increased investment in insect production, as well as improvements in yields and optimisation.
Theres also further research that could help with improving the quality of edible insects, and how farmable and healthy they are.
theguardian.com notes three things that may lead to increased production of insects as food in the future. A paraphrased summary of those three notes are:
In terms of investments and grants – investment reached in the hundreds of millions of dollars to open an insect farm in France, and a grant of 10 million British pounds was received to build an insect farm outside London
In terms of intensive farming maximising yields – insects might be able to be intensively farmed (i.e. factory farmed close together) without comprising the welfare of the insects, and this, in addition to using hi-tech, robot operated vertical facilities in the future, may help maximise protein yield of insect farming.
In terms of research and study into optimisation of local insect farming – there’s more study and research being put into local insect farming in order to optimise insect farming for local variables and conditions.
time.com mentions that (paraphrased):
In Madagascar, there is a research center that aims at identifying edible insects with the right combination of taste, healthiness and farm-ability. They also look to identify ‘the most promising edible insects for each climatic region, and figuring out how to farm them at scale’
Additionally, they note that even though the Sakondry as a local insect was at first hard to find, local study/work figuring out the lifecycle, feeding habits, ideal host plant, and other factors, meant that more Sakondry could eventually be found. It might be possible to apply this study/work to other regions of the world to collect/farm other local insects.
wikipedia.org also lists the insect species that might be both suitable for human consumption as well as industrialized mass production in their guide.
Insects Might Be Used For Other Uses, & In Other Products, Other Than As Edible Insect Food For Humans
The uses for farmed insects extend outside of just as edible food for humans.
Other potential uses might include using insects as animal feed, in pet food, and also as fats in other products like oils and even some cosmetics.
What this may indirectly mean too, is that people can obtain some of the benefits that insects might offer, without having to directly eat insects.
A few examples of this might be buying animal meat that has come from livestock fed on insects, or, buying pet food that has an insect protein source instead of an animal protein source
In regards to using insects as feed for other animals and in pet products, theguardian.com indicates that:
‘… most of the investment [in insects as food] is heading towards insects-as-feed for other animals’ and ‘… insects show great potential as feed in aquaculture and for livestock’
Potential Cons Of Eating Insects & Bugs
The Insect Protein Market Is Still Small Compared To The Market For Beef
… the insect protein market [is] $1bn today [in comparison to] beef’s [at] $324 billion (time.com)
That is essentially a 324x difference between the two.
It would also be relevant to understand the different in size between the insect protein market and the plant protein market.
There May Be Nutritional Issues, & Nutritional Tradeoffs Involved With Eating Insects To Consider
Potential nutritional issues and tradeoffs with insects might relate to:
– Differences in both the amount of protein, and also the protein profile, of different insect proteins compared to animal proteins and also plant proteins
– Differences in the other nutrients in insects and insect food products compared to other foods
– Potential anti-nutrients in insects
We provide more detail on the potential nutritional issues and tradeoffs of insects in this guide.
May Be Other Health Or Food Safety Concerns With Insects As Food
In a separate guide, we list some potential safety concerns associated with eating insects and bugs.
A summarized list of those concerns are:
– Biological Concerns
– Chemical Concerns
– Physical Concerns
– Allergy Concerns
Some Argue That Some Processed Insect Food Products Aren’t As Good For Health As Whole Insects
This is because these products may mainly contain processed ingredients, or are processed in a way that isn’t as healthy, compared to eating whole insects
Some ‘insect snack’ products for example may be highly processed products that only contain a small % of added insect protein powder
Using Insects As Animal Feed May Contribute To Several Problems
Including but not limited to:
– Supporting An Existing Food System With Issues
Some argue that the existing agricultural system currently has it’s own issues, and certain livestock agricultural products (like meat) are already over consumed.
Feeding insects to livestock as feed may only support or compound these existing issues.
– May Be Less Efficient & Less Sustainable
Using insects as feed for livestock for example means that before meat is delivered to consumers, by-products of plant-based farming and other feeds are given to insects, and these insects are then fed to animals.
In some instances, this adds an extra step to the food production process, so there’s more energy used, more resources used, and it’s ultimately less efficient (especially in terms of energy conversion efficiency) and less sustainable.
Eating insects directly instead of using them as feed might be more efficient and sustainable (as it involves less steps and less wasted energy in energy conversion to deliver food to humans)
Not Everyone Likes The Taste
The taste of insects and bugs may be different for everyone
Some people may simply have a preference for the taste of other foods containing protein, such as animal meat or plant based foods
Other people may outright not like taste of insects
Even products that contain insect ingredients like for example insect snack products (similar to chips and crackers) might simply be lacking in taste (or just taste bland)
There Isn’t A Wide Cultural Openness Or Acceptance Of Eating Insects & Bugs In Some Countries
Some countries may still have a narrow openness or acceptance to eating insect and bug protein based foods
There can be individual psychological barriers, along with people associating insects/bugs with something dirty too
In these countries, animal products and plant based products are much more widely consumed than edible insects.
Insect Population Numbers May Be Declining In Some Local Areas Due To Various Environmental Factors
Two of those factors might include:
– Habitat Destruction
From urbanisation, cutting down trees, and other forms of clearing and habitat destruction
– A Changing Climate
Insects Are Seen As A ‘Food Of The Poor’ In Some Regions Of The World
theguardian.com mentions that (paraphrased) some people may not want to eat insects in some regions of the world because they don’t want to be seen as poor i.e. there’s ‘poor person’ connotation attached to it
Increased Production Of Insects May Have Practical Challenges
wikipedia.org lists some of these potential challenges related to harvesting and producing insects, such as (paraphrased) having the right technology and using it correctly (such as having and using temperature control for insect development correctly), having funding, having the right machinery and enclosures, and knowledge of how each insect species should be farmed based on variables individual to each species.
time.com also uses (paraphrased) the example of the Sakondry to illustrate how some local insects/bugs may be hard to find or collect/farm until more is researched/studied about how to collect/farm them.
Other Factors May Make It Challenging For The Insect Market To Grow Quickly In Some Countries
Some of these factors might include:
– Issues with regulatory approval and restrictions, and also standards
Different countries may have different regulations and standards around importing insects, eating insects, and producing insect products
theguardian.com discusses regulatory approval and restrictions in their article
– There may be a difference in getting people to eat insects as a one-off at an event for example, and, trying to get people to incorporate them as a part of their regular diet
– Other movements like the plant based movement took decades to pick up momentum and make progress in terms of being incorporated into people’s diets in some countries
So, it’s possible insects may face a similar trajectory at least in the short term (over the course of decades)
– Trying to successfully sell or market insect sourced protein may be more difficult than trying to sell or market other meat alternatives
The same might apply to other insect based products too (like for example snacks)
Often, insect based products might be competing against other brands and products that already have a recognizable brand, along with bigger marketing budgets, and potentially lower prices
– There’s been multiple ‘insect start-up companies’ that have failed to capture a market share, or failed as a business altogether
Additionally, some brands offering products with insect ingredients have been removed from stores (but may still be available online)
– time.com may suggest that farmed insects have to meet several criteria in order to be a viable option as a food source
Those criteria might be that they have to be ‘… as good as meat [and also] easy to grow, and hyper-local [to the people who need to eat the food]’
Sources
1. https://time.com/5942290/eat-insects-save-planet/
2. https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/2019/01/09/would-you-toss-roasted-insects-into-your-meal-this-health-app-is-betting-yes/
3. https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/may/08/if-we-want-to-save-the-planet-the-future-of-food-is-insects
4. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insects_as_food
5. https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2022/02/how-insects-positively-impact-climate-change/
6 https://www.researchgate.net/figure/Anti-nutrient-content-mg-100-g-of-selected-edible-insects_tbl5_351490083
7. https://www.eatcrickster.com/blog/pros-and-cons-of-eating-insects
8. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/eating-insects-safely
9. https://research.csiro.au/edibleinsects/
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