Today's topic is entomophagy. It's about eating insects.
Today I'm going to tell you about an article that was recently published in entomology today. It was written by Andrew Porterfield.
The idea of eating insects has progressed from schoolyard days to a very real solution to maintain and secure global food supply.
Already common among 2 billion people worldwide, when reluctant Western countries are looking for entomophagy as a way to now provide sustainable and relatively healthy protein sources especially as the world population grows.
Edible insects are high in protein, fat, and energy, and are a good source of vitamins and minerals. However, there's still the “eww” factor to eating insects, which is a strong deterrent.
A recently study at Imperial College of London conducted two large surveys of children and parents and London, and an online consumer survey of British and French consumers. They wanted to determine the potential for consumption of insect based foods in western countries.
What they discovered was that the children were the most open to the possibility of eating insects, adult men and women were equally likely and willing to pay for insect food products. Thus the study concluded that marketing strategies could be implemented to help boost a support for consumer insect based foods.
But the strongest way to overcome the growth factor will likely be through children. Leader of the research study, Matilda Collins, concluded that she thinks that once acceptance or preference is formed in children, this can help them stay attracted to it even in their adult life. So the bottom line is don't be afraid to explore your interest in eating insect products or entomophagy.
