Earth’s population is on track to hit almost 10 billion by 2050
and feeding everyone is going to present some pretty major challenges.
Could a vital pillar of a secure food future be something a little out of left field?
Could it even be living in said field?
Could it be…bugs?
Okay, let’s get the most obvious question out of the way first: Is this a weird idea?
Well, it depends on who you ask.
To the 2 billion people around the world who indulge in entomophagy,
that is they regularly include insects as part of their diet,
it probably doesn’t seem that strange at all.
Actually if you love shellfish, then you’re already most of the way to eating bugs.
I mean, they are all arthropods, after all.
The US FDA even had to warn people with seafood allergies
not to eat any of the billions of cicadas that emerged in 2021,
because they contain similar proteins that could trigger an allergic reaction.
People who are regular insectivores tend to live closer to the equator
where bugs are available as a food source year round.
People who hail from higher latitudes like Europe
don’t have a tradition of eating insects,
probably because they’re really only available in the summer when they’re nutritionally redundant anyway.
But the squeamishness many people feel at the thought of eating crawly critters
is learned and not an innately human instinct.
In fact, our bodies produce an enzyme that can break down the hard chitin of their exoskeletons,
so clearly we adapted to eat them at some point in our history.
Insects could bring a lot of benefits to someone’s diet today.
Crickets, for example, aren’t just a good source of protein—they’re also high in iron and vitamin B-12.
Eating a complete organism also means getting all the nutrients of that organism,
as opposed to eating one specific part of an animal.
Plus it cuts down on food waste, since eating a crunchy critter whole
is easier than using every part of larger livestock.
The FAO estimates crickets require about 13 times less space than an equivalent amount of beef.
They actually seem to like being packed together in small spaces,
which might help ease a consumer’s guilty conscience.
Insects could also be a solution to the issue of just how much land we use to produce meat.
Right now, 80% of farmland is used for raising and feeding livestock,
even though animals account for only 18% of our caloric intake.
The small space requirements could help curb the deforestation that comes with creating new farmland.
That in turn could be a huge help in the fight against climate change.
Crickets emit a thousand times less greenhouse gasses
than cows do to produce the same amount of protein.
They also need roughly thirteen times less water,
another huge plus for areas of the world where water is scarce.
And as a parting gift, insect excrement, known as frass, even has a use as fertilizer.
Now, all of that is well and good, but what about flavor? Do they taste good?
Turns out insects come in many flavors,
from the sakondry of Madagascar, also known as the bacon bug,
to North America's own cicada, which apparently tastes a bit like shrimp to some.
Makes sense, given the FDA’s warning about seafood allergies.
Really the biggest reason not to eat bugs aside from anaphylaxis is...well…because you don’t want to.
Presenting them in a way that’s palatable is a major challenge to wider adoption.
What we need is the Timon and Pumba to our Simba—
someone to show us that bugs can be slimy yet satisfying.
That or an introduction to six-legged cuisine that’s more approachable than whole deep-fried crickets.
Grinding them into powder that can be mixed into bread dough
or sprinkled onto a familiar food for a protein boost is one solution.
Now, if non-bug-eaters never come around to the idea, the very least they can do is help destigmatize it.
Like I said, lots of people around the world already rely on insects for a vital part of their diet.
Unfortunately, contact with people who have negative attitudes toward entomophagy
has caused some cultures to lose their taste for grub.
As more and more humans share the globe, it’s important that
none of them are discouraged from a perfectly good food source
in favor of another that’s more taxing on the environment and harder for them to obtain.
If you don’t have a seafood allergy and you want to know more about cicadas
before you dive into a bowlful of them, then check out my video on the latest big emergence here.
So, what do you think about six-legged snacks? Are you still grossed out?
Do you think you could come around?
Or maybe you eat them already?
Let us know in the comments, be sure to subscribe, and I’ll see you next time on Seeker.