Edible Insects (National Taiwan University)

https://www.coursera.org/learn/edible-insects

Why

• Why not: Cultural differences between which animals (and parts of animals) are and aren’t food → Too cute? Too scary? Disgust? Safety? Endangered? More useful alive? Bad taste? Racism?
• Lower inputs (space, feed, water), lower emissions, higher nutrition density (low carb, medium protein, high protein, high fibre, high nutrients/minerals)
• Insects react to external (but not internal) physical pain but don’t seem to care - they don’t suffer (mental), they’re likely not conscious
• Veganism kills more than entoveganism: 1 acre of crops kills 800,000 insects
• Can be prepared in a huge variety of ways, from flour/minced to whole as nuts/land-prawns substitutes, and have a range of innate flavours
• Circular agriculture: flies eat chicken waste, chickens eat fly larvae
• Utilise food waste (avoid landfill)
• Space food!?

Market strategy

• Innovation success: relative advantage (better), compatibility (with values), complexity, trialability (MVP), observability
• Passive rejection: lack of supply limits consumption (”I want to, but can’t”)
• From novel to normal: form (look like food), availability (supermarket)

Supply

• Most common today in Thailand (leader in farming and research), Mexico (mostly traditional methods)
• Food safety concerns similar to other animal products, so ensure quality feed and cleanliness
• Novel food laws vary by region, e.g. US assumes safe and Europe assumes dangerous

Traditional collection from the wild

• Depletion, seasonal, labour intensive, higher risk of disease

Farming

• Largest companies in USA, Netherlands, Thailand
• Already large farms for animal feed (chickens, fish, reptiles, etc)
• Crickets
  • 21% protein chicken feed for 20 days, then 14-21% protein feed, leaves or fruits before harvest at day 45 (for flavour)
  • Maintain temperature; keep ants/predators out; avoid overcrowing; avoid inbreeding
  • Mating from days 40-45; within 24 hours of males singing, add bowl of sand/soil/rice husks for egg laying; move bowls to breeding tank, hatch in 7-10 days
• Mealworms
  • 25-30C, 65-70% humidity, leave open or ventilated lid, in dark, like crowds; harvest 3~4 months, keep 10% for next generation
  • Tiered system: tray on top for beetles, mesh for larvae to fall through to bottom tray

Other uses

• Cheese, honey, food colouring, silk, fertiliser, tea, sweeteners, polish, medicines, …

Links

• Vincent Holt (1885) “Why not eat insects?” https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=awNbAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
• Shelomi (2015) “Why we still don’t eat insects: Assessing entomophagy promotion through a diffusion of innovations framework.” https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S092422441500151X?via%3Dihub
• Jongema, Y. (2017). “List of edible insects of the world” https://web.archive.org/web/20230416025101/https://www.wur.nl/en/research-results/chair-groups/plant-sciences/laboratory-of-entomology/edible-insects/worldwide-species-list.htm
• van Huis, A., Oonincx, D.G.A.B. The environmental sustainability of insects as food and feed https://doi.org/10.1007/s13593-017-0452-8
• Fischer, B. (2019). “How to reply to some ethical objections to entomophagy.” https://doi.org/10.1093/aesa/saz011
• https://warning.acfs.go.th/th/articles-and-research/view/?page=30 (มกษ) (An e-book with illustrated instructions.)
• https://www.bugsolutely.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/GAP_ENG_Bugsolutely.pdf
• https://www.acfs.go.th/standard/download/GUIDANCE_GAP_CRICKET_FARM.pdf
• https://entonation.com/thailand-releases-first-ever-good-ag-practices-cricket-farming/
• https://www.foodnavigator-asia.com/Article/2018/03/19/Good-Agricultural-Practices-for-cricket-farming-released-for-the-first-time
• Dortmans, B., Diener, S., Verstappen, B., & Zurbrügg, C. (2017). Black soldier fly biowaste processing: a step-by-step guide. Dübendorf, Switzerland: Eawag, Sandec. https://www.dora.lib4ri.ch/eawag/islandora/object/eawag:15615
• Bugsolutely. “Trying Edible Insects for the First Time” https://www.bugsolutely.com/manga/