Entomophagy

Entomophagy refers to the eating of insects. The term comes from the Greek root entom, which means “insect,” and the root phagus, which means “eating.” Entomophagy is common among many types of animals, including nonhuman primates and humans. The extent to which communities practice entomophagy—even among species that normally eat insects—varies widely because of the availability of insects and other food sources. Human consumption of insects also varies because of cultural norms and practices. Entomophagy is more commonly practiced by people living in tropical climates, though civilizations around the world have consumed insects for food. In the twenty-first century, some people started practicing entomophagy because they believed that it would help mitigate potential sustainability problems humans faced.

Background

Scientists believe insects first appeared more than 480 million years ago. They most likely evolved when the first land plants appeared on the planet. About one hundred million years later, some insects evolved wings, allowing the insect population to increase significantly. Millions of other species evolved after the first insects made their appearance. In many cases, these species evolved to use insects as a food source. Evidence suggests that the ancestors of modern humans consumed insects for thousands of years.

A 2014 study from Washington University in St. Louis suggested that eating insects helped humans develop larger brains. According to the study, digging for insects may have led to our early human ancestors developing higher cognitive skills as they would have had to work at solutions to get the insects out of trees and the ground. The process may also have helped lead to the development of tool making. Millions of years ago, large game was difficult and dangerous to hunt, so it did not make up a part of the early human’s regular diet. Scientists believe that insects, which were most likely gathered with fruits and nuts, made up an important part of early human protein consumption. The study suggests Scientists have found that fossils of early human excrement do show that insects were a common part of their diet.

Overview

Entomophagy is very common in nature, with insects a primary food source for many animals, birds, fish, and even other insects. The majority of birds, reptiles, amphibians, and spiders rely on insects for the majority of their diets. Some mammals also rely solely on insects for food. One group of mammals is collectively known as insectivores because the members of the group primarily eat insects for food. Examples of these mammals include animals from the orders Soricomorpha (a type of shrew), Erinaceomorpha (a type of hedgehog), and Chrysochloridea (a type of mole). Other insectivores also eat other types of small invertebrates such as worms.

Originally the term insectivore was used to group these animals into an order, but scientists later revised their taxonomy and arranged them into different orders. Numerous insectivores have adaptations that help them eat insects. For example, the giant anteater—which is a member of the insectivore group—has an elongated nose and sharp claws that help it root out and consume ants and termites. Many nonhuman primates also take part in entomophagy, though primates do not rely mainly on insects for food. Many families inside the primate order have members that take part in entomophagy, though not all primates eat insects.

When people talk about human entomophagy, they refer to the practice of eating insects as well other invertebrates that humans consider to be bug-like. For example, earthworms are not insects—they are members of the phylum Annelida, which includes all types of segmented worms. Nevertheless, human consumption of these creatures, which are high in protein, is often classified as human entomophagy. Furthermore, human consumption of scorpions and spiders, which are arachnids, is often classified as human entomophagy.

Modern humans have taken part in entomophagy for many thousands of years. Human entomophagy occurs in place around the world, but it is not universal. People living in Africa, Asia, South America, and Oceania were more likely to consume insects than people living in Europe and North America (though entomophagy is common in Mexico). About ten million different species of insects live on Earth with humans consuming about two thousand of those species. People in different parts of the world eat different species of insects based on availability and local customs. They can eat different types of insects at different stages of the insect lifecycle, from larva to adulthood. Some insects are eaten at only certain points in their lifecycles. For example, people eat insects of Lepidoptera order, which is made up mostly of butterflies and moths, almost exclusively during the larval stage. People also commonly eat insects from the Coleoptera (beetles), Orthoptera (grasshoppers, crickets, etc.), and Hymenoptera (wasps, bees, and ants) orders.

Human entomophagy has exited for thousands of years in part because it provides people with needed micronutrients and macronutrients. The nutritional profile of individual insects depends on the insect’s species, stage in the lifecycle, and the way the insect was reared. Humans can forage for insects in the wild, raise their own insects for consumption, and purchase insects (either alive or prepared) to eat. Because insects can carry pathogens and potentially contain harmful chemicals depending on the way they are raised, people who farm and eat insects must be aware of and follow safety measures, just as people taking part in conventional animal husbandry must follow safety measures.

Human entomophagy is greatly influenced by cultural practices. Places where entomophagy is common may consider some insects as delicacies. In some parts of the world, insects are sold as food alongside any other foods and snacks. However, in parts of the world where entomophagy is less common, eating insects may be viewed as taboo or as a one-time curiosity rather than a normal part of life. Oftentimes, people in these areas are repulsed by the practice. For those who choose to consume insects, the insects might be processed into different forms, such as flour. Serving insects in ways that do not show their natural form can be more appealing to people to who are not accustomed to eating them.

Human entomophagy became more popular in the twenty-first century in part because some people believed it could be used to help solve the sustainability problems humans faced. Climate change was one of the problems humans hope to mitigate. Some people who chose to eat insects believe that relying on them for food is more beneficial than using animals such as cattle and pigs. The production of cattle and pigs for food affects climate change in numerous ways. Cattle emit methane gas that can contributes to climate change. Also, the land used by cattle production is land that cannot be used for planting trees and beneficial plants. Furthermore, raising animals for food is less efficient than raising crops for food because crops must be grown and fed to the animals before the animals can be slaughtered and used for food themselves. People in favor of human entomophagy often argue that raising insects will help mitigate climate change because insects do not emit greenhouse gases or require as much land when they are farmed.

People in favor of entomophagy also believe the practice could ease the burden from the world’s growing population. In 2019, the United Nations estimated that the world’s population would peak around 11 billion in 2100. The dramatic rise will require changes to the way people produce and consume food. People who support entomophagy argue that raising insects for food is the best solution. They maintain it is more efficient than using factory farming methods used in many Western countries in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries.

Although advocates for human entomophagy argue that it could help feed the world while reducing the impact on the environment, others believe that better solutions to these problems exist. Some people believe that practicing veganism, rather than entomophagy, is a better choice for reducing greenhouse gases and feeing more individuals. These people point out that large-scale farming of insects requires energy and resource inputs that come lose to the inputs needed for raising chickens. If insects require as much energy and as many resources as other animals, some researchers believe humans should try to adapt vegan diets rather than eat insects.

Bibliography

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