Insects as food: perception and acceptance

Abstract

The production of animal protein is linked to high resource consumption, requiring a lot of agricultural land, water and energy. Traditional livestock farming and meat production are also morally questionable. Interest in alternative protein sources which can be produced using fewer resources has rapidly increased in recent years. Due to a report by the FAO [1] and the commitment of individual scientists, public interest in insects as an alternative protein source has increased. Insects can be a source of high-quality protein (i.e. source of essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals) depending on the species, stage of development and diet [2]. In comparison to some meat products they also have lower concentrations of cholesterol alongside a favorable n-3/n-6-fatty acid ratio [3–5]. Another advantage of insects is that their production is comparatively environmentally-friendly. A recently published comparison of the environmental impact of different meat alternatives demonstrated that insect and soya flour based alternatives have the lowest environmental impact, that milk and gluten-based alternatives have a moderate impact and that cultured meat or myco-, i.e. mushroom based, analogues (e.g. QuornTM) have the highest impact [6]. Approx. 2,000 species of edible insects have been identified globally to date [7]. In many cultural spheres, e.g. in East Asia, Africa and South America, they are harvested from the wild and are part of the traditional diet [1]. In contrast, in Western countries they tend to trigger disgust rather than a desire to eat. The present article gives an overview of the current data available on the subject of the perception and acceptance of insects as food from a consumer perspective. Abstract