Eating insects for nutrition

The notion of biting into a bug or chewing on a cricket might make some people a bit squeamish.

Don’t squash the idea until giving this food some thought.

Some 2 billion people around the world already

eat insects to supplement their diet, according to the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization. The practice is known as entomophagy. Consuming the right critters can help address the pressing issues of food security with the world’s population expected to grow to 9.8 billion by 2050, the UN says. Insects can provide nutrition, with high protein, fat and mineral contents.

But it’s not just about food scarcity. Insects are a staple in diets in parts of Asia, Africa and Latin America, and

are consumed because of their taste, according to the FAO. For example, mopane

caterpillars are considered a delicacy in southern Africa, while weaver ant eggs are a treat in parts of Asia.

In Western cultures, the practice of eating insects has

started to catch on a bit more over the past decade or so,

especially since the release of the FAO’S landmark 2013 report that caught the attention of new audiences, said

Sujaya Rao, professor of entomology at the University

of Minnesota in Minneapolis. The report in part connected insect consumption with larger societal issues like food sustainability and

security, and the impact on the environment.

“One of the many ways to address food and feed security is through insect farming. Insects are everywhere and they reproduce quickly, and they have high growth and feed conversion rates and a low environmental footprint over their entire life cycle,” the FAO said in an information guide based on their report.

Globally more than 1,900 insect species are considered edible, with beetles the most common, followed by caterpillars, bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, locusts and crickets. Dishes featuring bugs already are becoming more and more popular, as they appear in trendy eating spots across the country.