“Caterpillars and meat play the same role in the human body.
As food, caterpillars are regulars in the village but meat is a stranger.”
Yansi saying from the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Muyay, 1981
The US Department of Agriculture defines food insecurity as a lack of consistent access to enough food for an active, healthy life. It is important to distinguish between hunger, which is a personal, physical sensation of discomfort related to lack of food, from food insecurity, which is related to a lack of financial resources to secure enough food.
Although hunger and malnutrition are commonly associated with populations in developing countries, food security is a problem throughout the world. Food insecurity may be associated with displacement due to natural disasters, job loss or families fleeing violence. In other locations throughout the world, food insecurity may occur at specific times of the year due to climate, or because of geopolitical factors.
According to the World Food Programme, there are an estimated 805 million people who are food insecure throughout the world. Of those, many suffer chronic malnutrition and malnourishment and rarely consume proteins or fats. Their diets mainly consist of carbohydrates in the forms of grains, vegetables and tubers.
If malnutrition or malnourishment is experienced by young children, the consequences can be life-altering. Chronic malnutrition can lead to stunting and is a risk-factor for increased susceptibility to illness, disease and death. Of the 150 million children worldwide who experience malnutrition, more than three fourths of those reside in South Asia or Sub-Saharan Africa.
Edible insects are an important consideration as a means to support our ever growing populations throughout the world. Projects that support traditional diets that include insects are crucial to improving food security. Traditional diets reduce dependence on unstable economic and geopolitical factors and are compatible with the local ecosystem and climate.
Because of the “yuck” factor associated with consuming insects in some cultures, particularly in European and some North American cultures, a better means to provide high quality protein for food-insecure populations in general is the utilization of insect flours to fortify traditional grain products.
A study at University of California, Pomona demonstrated the feasibility of fortifying a rice product, which is a major global food staple, with insect flour. Instead of promoting an edible insect product that contained the “whole insect body,” the final appearance of this food appeared as an extruded rice product. The researchers combined varying amounts of cricket and locust insect flour with rice flour and tested the nutritional composition of their products. They also surveyed potential consumers on the sensory acceptability of the final products. The product formulated with cricket flour scored well in terms of nutrition and in overall sensory acceptance by untrained panelists who were surveyed.
Extrusion is a food preparation method that is a common method of producing a variety of products, from cereals, pasta, soup and beverage bases, hot dogs, sausages, processed cheese and chewing gum. In the extrusion process, the product is generally cooked, mixed into a doughy mass, pushed through die holes, where it expands and rapidly cools.
Another project related to food security and edible insects is the modular edible insect farm by TerreForm, a nonprofit organization for philanthropic architecture, urban and ecological design, which serves as a dual-purpose shelter and modular insect farm in one structure. It is intended for a food crisis, where people will need access to good sources of alternative protein, but raising livestock will not be possible. In non-crisis situations, the structure can serve as a sophisticated and sanitary method of harvesting insects for the production of cricket flour and serve as a specialty restaurant or storehouse.
Besides grain products fortified with insect flour, a variety of other insect products have also made their way into the US market and have gained acceptance, including energy bars from Chapul and Chirps cricket chips. These types of products may be able to provide viable options to feed a growing global population and provide greater food security, even in places where “whole insect body” consumption is not currently a culturally acceptable practice.
Adapted from the following:
Jaynie Tao and Yao Olive Li Edible Insects as a means to address global malnutrition and food insecurity issues Food Quality and Safety Journal, Volume 2, Issue 1, March 2018, pp. 17-26
Tangu Muyay Les Insects comme aliment de l’homme (Book) Bandundu, Republique du Zaire, Ceeba 1981
UNICEF. (2001). Progress since the World Summit for Children: A statistical review. Review of the World Summit for Children; New York City, USA, 29-30 September 2009. UNICEF
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