- Entomophagy, or eating insects, is gradually gaining traction as insects are a sustainable source of protein and micronutrients.
- Compared to farm animals, insects have minimal resource requirements in terms of food, land resources and water. In addition, the carbon footprint of insects is negligible compared to conventional farm animals.
- There are 2,141 species of edible insects around the world, but they are not considered a commodity in many countries, which needs to be addressed on a global scale as it has the potential to turn into a multimillion dollar industry.
What is entomophagy?
Entomophagy is the practice of eating insects. Humans have been harvesting insects as part of their diet for thousands of years. This practice was formerly considered to be “ancient” and “barbaric” and there was considerable aversion to the ingestion of insects in food. But it is now gaining worldwide attention as insects are suggested as the future food of the planet. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations (UN) has been striving for years to promote entomophagy as a healthy, sustainable and environmentally friendly practice. As a result, this practice receives a lot of attention worldwide and people dare to try insect dishes like never before.
In this case, it is important to answer some basic entomophagy questions, such as: B. the types of edible insects, where they are available, how they should be consumed and at what point in their life they are able to do so, and whether they can be bred commercially.
Why insects?
Studies have shown that insect protein is the best alternative to animal protein. But the question is why do we need such a switch?
With the human population estimated at 9.8 million by 2050, the current rate of food production needs to be increased to feed the growing population. To do this, agriculture must be expanded. However, expanding agriculture to produce more forage is not a practical solution due to the limited availability of land. More livestock must be raised to meet the protein needs of the growing population. The feed demand of farm animals is so high that more and more feed sources have to be found. Livestock is a major contributor to anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions, so expanding production could prove costly to the environment. The compilation of all these alternative sustainable sources of protein urgently needs to be found. This is where insects come into play.
Carpenter worms for sale in Mao Market, Kohima, Nagaland. Photo by Ajano Tsanglao.
Compared to farm animals, insects have minimal resource requirements in terms of food, land resources and water. That being said, the carbon footprint of insects is negligible compared to conventional livestock. Insect meat is rich in micronutrients like iron, calcium, manganese, copper, and several essential amino acids. It is low in carbohydrates and fat. Compared to farm animals, insects only release minimal greenhouse gases. Studies have shown that animal feed insects can even be reared in organic by-streams and kitchen waste, addressing the problem of organic waste disposal.
While there are many benefits to including insects in our diet, the aversion to them still persists. In many countries, insects are increasingly valued as food and feed. Efforts are also being made in India to raise awareness and promote entomophagy.
When did we start eating insects?
In the beginning of history, humans were omnivores. In the course of evolution, after the complex interplay of culture and religion had taken place, the omnivorous diet was divided into the various current modern diets. People are taught to think about foods that are beyond the nutritional quality they possess. Accordingly, some foods are considered modern and well received, while others are primitive and generally rejected. As a result, entomophagy was not a very common practice in the modern world until recently.
However, entomophagy is still practiced by ethnic tribes spread across different parts of the world. These include the native Australians, ethnic tribes of Africa, Latin America, and Southeast Asia. In India, several ethnic tribes from northeastern states such as Nagaland practice entomophagy. Knowledge of edible insects is purely traditional and a benefit of these ethnic communities that have been passed down through generations.
Are There Enough Insects We Can All Eat?
To know about edible insects, the modern world must approach ethnic communities. Recognizing and implementing their practices will build many bridges. However, researchers fear that if so, these communities could begin overharvesting these bioresources of insects from the wild to meet their increasing demand. This would call into question the sustainability of the practice and affect the biodiversity of the insects. To date, entomophagy has been an extremely sustainable practice, although insects are collected from the wild. But the wild insect population would never be enough to meet the growing demand. It is high time, therefore, to make the necessary changes to ensure the continued sustainability of this practice.
Woman selling hornet stick in Mao Market in Kohima, Nagaland. Photo by Ajano Tsanglao.
A viable solution to preserving insects and ensuring sustainable entomophagy is insect breeding. Insects can be a better substitute for conventional cattle than mini cattle or six-legged animals. Insects are well suited for commercial rearing because of their ease of rearing, short life cycle, enormous fertility, and minimal resource requirements. Not only is insect farming a solution to relieving pressure on wild insect populations, it is also a sustainable solution to protecting insects and the environment, and meeting the protein needs of the growing human population.
With proper training, commercial insect breeding can also be a livelihood for those ethnic communities that actually practice entomophagy.
Read more: Cooking beetles: An island in Assam is eating its farm pest
Which insects can we eat?
While interest in rearing insects is growing, little is known about which insects can be raised on a larger scale. Choosing the ideal insect species based on the optimal amount of nutrients, ease of rearing, short life cycle, enormous fertility, minimal resource requirements, etc. is critical. To date, 2141 insects are known to be edible in the world. Of these, very few insects can be raised on a large scale. These include black soldier fly (Hermetia illucens), house cricket (Acheta domesticus), mealworms (Tenebrio molitor), weevils (Rhynchophorus ferrugineus), smaller mealworms (Alphitobius diaperinus), etc.
With growing consumer demand, it is only a matter of a few years that insects could become the food of choice for people around the world. Insect breeding is the current trend in industry around the world. Insect farming businesses will soon move from small household businesses to multimillion dollar industries, providing people with both income and employment opportunities and healthy and nutritious food for consumers.
However, the laws in most countries do not recognize insects as a normally traded commodity, which is the main hurdle for commercial insect breeding companies. Such policy issues need to be elaborated on a global scale in order to promote insect farming businesses for a sustainable environment and a healthy future.
Future of insects
Although the current focus is on insects as food and feed, insect bioprospection could take on the entire scenario in the near future. Insect-based products, from canned foods to antibiotics, will also show up. Ross Piper, a British entomologist, suggests that the tiny world of insects has solutions for everything. Just as we isolate compounds from reptiles to make useful drugs (for example, exenatide from the saliva of the Gila monster to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus), insects, especially the social ones, are a storehouse for such beneficial chemicals. The chemical defenses that colonial insects developed in order to survive must be carefully studied and harnessed to be used in modern medicine.
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Banner image: Beetle maggots ready for frying. Photo by Ajano Tsanglao.
Article published by Aditi
