Eating Insects
Entomophagy
Insects are a good source of protein, and low in fat and take little space to breed, so why don’t we eat more insects here in Australia??
The practice of eating insects, arachnids (such as spiders) and myriapods (centipedes) for food is called Entomophagy and the total number of edible species is estimated to be over 1400 worldwide. Eating arthropods is common in less developed countries such as Asia, Africa and South America and is also been practiced by Aboriginal Australians and natives in Indonesia.
Advantages
Arthropods have been as a source of food all around the world for tens of thousands of years and to this day insects are eaten as a source of nutrients. Insects and other arthropods can be a good source of protein and have many vitamins, minerals and good fats. Some important insects to note will be the crickets, which are a good source of calcium, and termites are rich in iron. Farming insects for food requires little space and is also more eco-friendly than farming traditional live stock such as cows and sheep. Insects are ectothermic and so do not use up as much of their energy on heating their bodies, while warm blooded animals, such as the cows and sheep are endothermic which means that they use allot of their energy maintaining their body temperature. This means that more of this energy is passed onto humans when eating the insects than the traditional live stock. Insects also reproduce faster and to produce 150g of grasshopper meat only requires only very minimal water, while producing the same amount of beef requires 3290 litres of water.
Disadvantages
Pesticides can make insects toxic as they can bioaccumulate up the food chain. For this reason insects that are to be used for human consumption should be fed an organic diet which is free of chemicals.
Insects you can eat
Now don’t go out into your garden and start eating every creepy crawly thing you can find because you don’t know where they have been! But here is a list of arthropods that are safe to eat if they have been bred under hygienic conditions. Crickets, grasshoppers, snails, tarantulas, termites, ants, scorpions, worms, cicadas, dragonflies, beetle grubs (such as mealworms), cockroaches, silkworms, wasps and bees. Some butterflies and moths are also eaten.
Did you Know?
We accidently eat insects all the time! Some foods contain dead insects and parts of insects and you even swallow insects when you are sleeping (let’s just call it a midnight snack). These insects are not hazardous to your health and are not prohibited in food items, the standards just limit the amount.
Ready to try eating some insects? Try our Creepy Creature Candy!
Here are some great buggy recipes