(OPINION) Are you ready to “eat the bugs”? For a long time, we have been told that “eating the bugs” is just a “conspiracy theory”, but as you will see below more than 2 billion people around the world already eat bugs on a regular basis.
More than 2,000 types of edible insects are being consumed, and bug ingredients are increasingly being used in common foods that we purchase in the grocery stores.
In fact, you could potentially be consuming products that contain insect ingredients without even realizing it. So anyone that tries to tell you that “eating the bugs” is a conspiracy theory is not being honest with you.
The following are 12 facts that prove that people all over the globe are already “eating the bugs” on a regular basis…Best restaurants near me
#1 According to the United Nations, there are over 2 billion people that eat insects as part of their normal diets right now…
More than 2 billion people worldwide consume insects regularly, according to the United Nations, which a decade ago began pushing pests as a sustainable super-protein for humans, pets, and livestock that can benefit the environment and create jobs in developing countries.
#2 A report that was recently published in a major scientific journal says that 2,205 different kinds of insects are now being consumed all over the globe…
A 2024 report titled “The global atlas of edible insects: analysis of diversity and commonality contributing to food systems and sustainability,” has identified 2205 species consumed across 128 countries.
Published in the science journal Nature, it notes that Asia has the highest number of edible insects (932 species), followed by North America (mainly Mexico), and Africa.
The countries with the highest consumption of insect are Mexico (452 species), Thailand (272 species), India (262 species), China (235 species), and Japan (123 species).Best restaurants near me
#3 According to CNN, Singapore has just approved 16 different types of edible insects “for sale and consumption”…
Singapore’s state food agency has approved 16 species of edible insects for sale and consumption in the country, according to a July 8 public circular addressed to food traders.Best restaurants near me
“With immediate effect, SFA will allow the import of insects and insect products belonging to species that have been assessed to be of low regulatory concern,” the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said in its release.Best restaurants near me
Insects approved by the SFA include locusts, grasshoppers, mealworms and several species of beetle. “These insects and insect products can be used for human consumption or as animal feed for food-producing animals,” SFA said, adding that insects could not be “harvested from the wild.”
#4 The largest insect farm in the entire world is located in France…
In Europe, France is the center of European insect farming for animal and plant feed; a biotechnology company, InnovaFeed owns the world’s largest insect farm at 55,000 sqm that produces 15,000 tons of protein a year.
#5 In April 2024, InnovaFeed opened an absolutely enormous “research and innovation center focused on insects” in Decatur, Illinois…
More recently, in April 2024, Innovafeed inaugurated its first research and innovation center focused on insects in North America: the NAIIC (North American Insect Innovation Center), with the presence of Illinois Governor JB Pritzker.
#6 An app that allows Germans to scan food products at the grocery store indicates that a whole host of things that Germans regularly eat have bug parts in them…Best restaurants near me
A German app called Insekten Scanner scans the barcode of a food product to tell you whether it includes insect parts in the ingredients. The app, which was first developed in late 2023 and now has over 100,000 downloads, recently went viral on X after several viral posts caused outrage among Americans.Best restaurants near me
The account Wall Street Silver (@WallStreetSilv) posted a video on May 2 of a user in a German supermarket scanning items with the app, which they captioned “‘We will NOT eat the bugs’ has become reality.”
In the video, the user repeatedly receives the message “Insekten Gefunden” or “Insects Found.” Items include pudding cups, premade meals, and even chocolate candies. “Everything has bugs,” one user replied.
#7 The very first “insect restaurant” in the United Kingdom is getting a lot of attention for the very unique dishes that it is offering to customers…
Grub Kitchen in Wales, the United Kingdom’s first insect restaurant, focuses on sustainability and is the vision of chef Andy Holcroft. The menu ranges from minced insect Bolognese to mealworm hummus and mixed insect pakoras fried with vegetables and served with mango chutney. Grub Kitchen largely has good reviews on TripAdvisor, but one reviewer was sceptical of eating insects, writing: “If this is the future, kill me now.”
#8 There are numerous websites that now offer insect-based products to U.S. consumers. One of those websites claims that “crickets contain 10 times more vitamin B12 than beef”…
Different types of insects contain different amounts of nutrients, but they tend to be dense in protein, iron and calcium among other nutrients.
MightyCricket, a US-based website that sells cricket powder, says crickets contain 10 times more vitamin B12 than beef.
#9 It is being reported that Thailand already has over 20,000 insect farms…
According to the Trade Policy and Strategy Office, Thailand can produce over 7,000 tonnes of economic insects annually. Thailand has more than 20,000 insect farms, especially cricket farms, the office said.
#10 In one region of India, silkworms are so popular that they are “available at every market”…
Silkworms are considered a delicacy in some northeastern states of India. In Nagaland, a state on the Myanmar border, silkworms are available at every market. Known as “eri puka” in Nagamese, the silkworms are fried, tossed together with spices, vegetables and bamboo shoots. Crispy fried grasshopper is also a common snack in the state. (CONTINUE)
