What would it take for you to eat bugs? I mean, besides the “worm” at the bottom of a tequila bottle. (Your motivation is apparent in that case). Would you do it if it were healthier for you than our typical western diet? Would you do it if it might help to save the world? I decided to explore those questions after watching a video featuring Nicole Kidman munching down a bunch of bugs and calling them delicious.

We already eat bugs

In fact, over 2 billion people eat bugs on purpose, though not typically in western culture. There are even cookbooks dedicated to gourmet insect cooking (here is one, if you are curious). But, most folks in the US eat bugs in our “normal” food unwittingly. Cochineal bugs, a kind of insect related to cicadas and aphids, are commonly used to make a red food dye called “carnelian.” If you have a strong stomach, take a look at the United States Food and Drug Administration’s The Food Defect Levels Handbook and you can see just how many bug bits are allowed in foods commonly produced and consumed in the United States.

Feeding a rapidly growing population

By 2050 the world’s population is expected to be around 9 billion people. It will not be possible to feed 9 billion people using the food production methods we use today. By recent estimates there are already over 1 billion people in the world who experience food insecurity throughout their lives, so we’ll need to double our food production if we hope to feed everyone by 2050 and beyond. (And that’s without taking into consideration climate change and other global food security problems that we face.)

In 2013, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations released a report encouraging people to eat more insects in response to the rapidly growing population and predictions of food insecurity.

Sustainability

Currently, in tropical and sub-tropical countries, the use of insects as a food source appears to be much more sustainable than western pig, chicken, and cow farms. Insects take up less space, use less water, and release less ammonia and greenhouse gases than other farm animals do. They also may be less likely to be associated with zoonotic disease (animal diseases that can infect humans, too).

No one really knows what it would look like to ramp up production of food insects because the demand for insects as food is fairly limited at this time in the west. If, somehow, the western world got past the “ick” factor and the demand for insect foods were to increase, there would need to be a system in place to meet that demand. Since that hasn’t really happened, there isn’t any data on how sustainable the production and consumption of insect protein would be if it were ramped up to provide enough food for, say, the entire population of the U.S. Additionally, the implementation of a production system inevitably leads to the need for regulation. Thus far, there is no regulation in the U.S. for the production or consumption of insects as a food source.

Cost

Increased demand may also mean an increase in cost. I found reasonably priced whole insects from several different sources during my online search for edible bugs. However, if I wanted to purchase cricket flour, I found two sites that sell it for over $38.00 per pound. Generally, after demand for a product or service increases, the price will increase until there is enough competition in insect production to cause the costs to level out, and often decline. This happens in other industries. For instance, solar panels have decreased in price since the 1970’s to less than a dollar per watt.

Health benefits

There’s plenty of evidence that consuming large amounts of beef and pork is bad for the heart. You can read about it here, here and here.  By comparison, insects are high in protein and other micronutrients but are naturally lower in fats – although their nutritional value is highly dependent on the type of bug and feed it has eaten. If properly raised, bugs could be a part of a heart healthier diet than westerners typically consume. For example, meal worms contain similar nutrients to fish. They both have comparable levels of proteins, vitamins, minerals, unsaturated omega-3 oils and six other fatty acids. Of course, the healthiness of mealworms would also  depend on how they were prepared. If you deep fry crickets, you’d still be consuming oil along with all the problems inherent with a diet rich in deep fried foods. As with conventional livestock, insect nutritional content may also be highly dependent on the type of feed they are given; for example, crickets fed grain seem to have a higher protein content than those fed other diets.

The “ick” factor

Obviously, the important issue is whether it’s “icky” to eat bugs. Most people eat things that taste good to them and that are pleasant to eat. If insects don’t taste good, it won’t matter how healthy or sustainable they are as a food source. The same is true if insects are too unpleasant to eat. Personally, I wanted to know if the “ick” factor would bother me, and there was only one way to find out.

Some friends and I decided to throw a bug eatin’ party. As the date of the bug eatin’ party drew near, I felt a lot of trepidation about whether I could bring myself to eat bugs or not. We were able to order some interesting roasted, seasoned crickets and meal worms online from the Bug Bistro from Entomo Farms. I ordered a 6-bag sampler that came with flavors like Moroccan, chili lime, and fire and brimstone. The sampler cost $15.00. After a bit more research we found chips made with cricket flour sold locally. These “Chirps” were very affordable at $3.99 per bag and they came in BBQ and cheddar flavor.

I will be honest: I had a little (a lot) whiskey before the moment arrived, but I was surprised to find that it wasn’t that icky at all. The roasted crickets and meal worms were flavorful and crunchy. If anything, they were a bit dry. The Moroccan flavored crickets were my favorite. The Chirps were a huge hit. Though they were also a

bit dry, eating them was just like eating any other kind of chips. I even left them in my work break room for others to try. I am happy to report that they were eaten up surprisingly quick – and by sober people as well! In fairness, I am not sure I could have eaten bugs if they had been squishy, or gooey. I doubt I could eat them if they

Bon Appetite!

Party goers talk about eating bugs