Insects under-appreciated for their taste, nutritional value in North America: researcher

What would you say to a moist mealworm muffin or some salted, crunchy grasshoppers? Chances are good that most folks in North America and Europe would probably turn their noses up to these novel food items.

Entomophagy has remained more of a novelty here and has not been able to catch on despite the grand idea of it being a sustainable source of food for an ever growing world population.

This is despite a 2010 UN report stating that insects offer fewer negative environmental impacts than most mainstream foods. Even former United Nations secretary-general Kofi Annan chimed in saying in a recent interview with The Guardian that “eating insects is good for the environment and balanced diets”.

So while insects have been a viable and favourite protein source in many cultures around the world, can perceptions and acceptance in western society ever change?

It is estimated that as many as 2 billion people from South and East Asia as well as many African and South American countries all have insects as part of their daily diet.

Everything from ants, crickets, beetles, cicadas, scorpions and cockroaches, some 1900 different species are eaten by numerous ethnic groups.

“There is a rich tapestry of culinary practices, often varying from one ethnic group to another in the same country and this richness is in itself the sign that people value insects as foods - and have sought the species best suited to their taste,” said Ophelia Deroy, author of the new Journal of Nature article and sensory researcher from the School of Advanced Study, University of London.

But maybe the time has come for us to change the way we are willing to get our protein and other nutrients.

“As a society, we are hugely sympathetic to the idea that we should eat less meat. It’s not great for health, not great for the planet, and it is also getting more and more expensive for people to afford,” explained Deroy in an interview with Yahoo Canada News.

“So it matters that we find ways to diversify our sources of proteins. And insects are not just ‘a source of protein,’ they are also a great source of good fats, and come with a large variety of flavours.” 

Different types of insects offer different nutritional values, but overall, most species are rich in proteins, fatty acids as well as micronutrients such as iron, magnesium, phosphorous, selenium or zinc. 

And as if the challenges of selling insects-as-food to North Americans and Europeans weren’t trouble enough, there’s a growing global problem in countries where insects have been a part of the staple diet for centuries. The younger generations in these countries are finding Western consumption habits of hamburgers and fried chicken more appealing.

“The messages sent by Westerners - that insects are 'disgusting' or not appropriate for consumption - are responsible for the change in attitude among the young generations in these groups,” explained Deroy.

“The aspiration is to eat like Westerners, but talking of taste only, many people in the world would choose insects over other kinds of delicacy.” 

Part of the strategy of changing the tide globally and creating a new generation of insectivores in Western society Deroy believes will depend on making eating foods made with insects appealing, and not just hide these novel ingredients.

The success in countries where insect consumption is popular is attributed at least partially to gaining the trust of consumers. Ensuring high safety standards in large scale production of insects for consumption is of paramount importance. There are about 20000 cricket farms for instance in Thailand, and they produce an average of 7,500 tons of insects a year.

“At the moment however, we need to be particularly careful with food safety standards: We know a lot about pesticides to kill insects, but very little about what could kill pathogens that are likely to occur if we grow new insects on a large scale.” 

Food safety agencies in North America already allow a certain proportion of insect-content in most foods, and Deroy points out that that this is because having some insect-parts in our chocolate is less damaging than the amount of pesticides it would take to have an insect-free chocolate.

On average, chocolate contains 60 or more insect fragments per 100 grams, while the glaze used on many candies like in chewing gums and jelly beans are also composed of approximately 35% shellac - which is the resin produced by Kerria lacca, the lac insect.

The main challenge with openly incorporating insects in Western diets is that they represent a whole new food category.

“It’s not just like accepting a new item in a familiar category like an exotic fruit,  or a new way of serving familiar foods like sushis when they became popular in the 1990’s,” explains Deroy.

There is no doubt that people, regardless of where they live, are curious to experiment with their palates, and share their culinary adventures and discoveries. However what makes the case for entomophagy so difficult is that there are no good models right now on how to introduce insect eating. And because our diets are so ingrained into our brains, it will take novel behavioural research to understand people’s perception and motivation when making food choices.

“Finding the right presentations, the right textures, the familiar recipes in which local insects could be integrated, needs experimentation in the kitchen and in the psychology lab,” said Deroy.

“Perhaps someone will like grasshoppers grilled with chili, and you will prefer them in a smoothie, with almond milk, green tea and apple,” Deroy added.

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