It ought to be obvious to anyone with an appetite that the way we eat is not sustainable – and that something fundamental will have to shift if we do not want to end up with half the world obese and the other half under water. “Civilisation is in crisis,” was the verdict of the EAT-Lancet international commission into the global food chain in 2019, which contained a dire warning of 200,000 years of human history culminating in ecological disaster. Modern industrial agriculture, extractive capitalism, the profit motive, governments cowering before Big Food and our own greedy western appetites all must take a share of the blame. EFSA (4 July 2022): Safety of frozen and freeze-dried formulations of the lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus larva) as a Novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. In: EFSA Journal 2022;20(7):7325. doi: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2022.7325 Customs Department of Thailand. Available online: https://www.customs.go.th/statistic_report.php (accessed on 12 February 2023). The views expressed herein do not necessarily reflect the official opinion of the donors. Conflict of Interest

D’Antonio, V.; Serafini, M.; Battista, N. Dietary modulation of oxidative stress from edible insects: A mini-review. Front. Nutr. 2021, 8, 642551. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] Anna K.; Szumny, Antoni (2021). "Sensory and Chemical Characteristic of Two Insect Species: Tenebrio molitor and Zophobas morio Larvae Affected by Roasting Processes". Molecules. 26 (9): 2697. doi: 10.3390/molecules26092697. ISSN 1420-3049. PMC 8124484. PMID 34064526. Sunderland, T. C., Ndoye, O., & Harrison-Sanchez, S. (2011). Non-timber forest products and conservation: What prospects? Non-timber forest products in the global context (pp. 209–224). Berlin: Springer.

Informed Consent Statement

Meanwhile, habitat destruction means there are fewer insects to collect. “We are currently seeing a reduction in the lake-fly population because of climate change. When I published my first paper on lake flies, there was an abundance of insects. Now in my old age I am seeing less and less of it.”

Park, S.J.; Kim, K.Y.; Baik, M.Y.; Koh, Y.H. Sericulture and the edible-insect industry can help humanity survive: Insects are more than just bugs, food, or feed. Food Sci. Biotechnol. 2022, 31, 657–668. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] [ PubMed] As mentioned above, insects have been safely used as food for thousands of years and are commonly consumed in many parts of the world. Wood, J. D., Richardson, R. I., Nute, G. R., Fisher, A. V., Campo, M. M., Kasapidou, E., Sheard, P. R., & Enser, M. (2004). Effects of fatty acids on meat quality: A review. Meat Science, 66(1), 21–32. Molina-Vega, Aracely; Hernández-Domínguez, Edna María; Villa-García, Matilde; Álvarez-Cervantes, Jorge (2021). "Comadia redtenbacheri (Lepidoptera: Cossidae) and Aegiale hesperiaris (Lepidoptera: Hesperiidae), two important edible insects of Agave salmiana (Asparagales: Asparagaceae): a review". International Journal of Tropical Insect Science. 41 (3): 1977–1988. doi: 10.1007/s42690-020-00396-1. ISSN 1742-7592. S2CID 257159477.

Other Benefits Derived from Crickets

Figure 1 shows mopane worms one of the edible insects that are mostly available in southern Africa. Mopane worms grow in Colophospermum mopane trees that are mostly found in the dry regions of southern Africa, including Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe. In the USA and Canada, insects for human consumption are not classified as novel food and the import and sale is permitted. [ citation needed] In the US, insect food products must comply with FDA standards and food labelling regulations (including allergy risk labelling). [68]

Lessard BD, Ponce-Reyes R (April 2021). "Edible insects. A roadmap for the strategic growth of an emerging industry"(PDF). [1] CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation). Australia’s National Science Agency.: 35. Morales-Ramos, J. A., & Rojas, M. G. (2015). Effect of larval density on food utilization efficiency of Tenebrio molitor (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae). Journal of Economic Entomology, 108(5), 2259–2267. https://doi.org/10.1093/jee/tov208. Dobermann, D.; Swift, J.A.; Field, L.M. Opportunities and hurdles of edible insects for food and feed. Nutr. Bull. 2017, 42, 293–308. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] Melo-Ruiz, V.; Moreno-Bonett, C.; Sanchez-Herrera, K.; Diaz-Garcia, R.; Gazga-Urioste, C. Macronutrient composition of giant water bug ( Lethocerus sp.) edible insect in Mexico and Thailand. J. Agric. Sci. Technol. 2016, 6, 349–354. [ Google Scholar] Imathiu, Samuel (2020-03-01). "Benefits and food safety concerns associated with consumption of edible insects". NFS Journal. 18: 1–11. doi: 10.1016/j.nfs.2019.11.002. ISSN 2352-3646. S2CID 213206080.

Author Contributions

Frozen, paste, dried and powder forms of lesser mealworm larvae ( Alphitobius diaperinus) with the Commission Implementing Regulation (EU) 2023/58 of 5 January 2023. [63] Feng, Y., Chen, X. M., Zhao, M., He, Z., Sun, L., Wang, C. Y., et al. (2018). Edible insects in China: Utilization and prospects. Insect Science, 25(2), 184–198. https://doi.org/10.1111/1744-7917.12449. Imathiu, Samuel (2020). "Benefits and food safety concerns associated with consumption of edible insects". NFS Journal. 18: 1–11. doi: 10.1016/j.nfs.2019.11.002. S2CID 213206080. Liu, S.; Sun, J.; Yu, L.; Zhang, C.; Bi, J.; Zhu, F.; Qu, M.; Yang, Q. Antioxidant activity and phenolic compounds of Holotrichia parallela Motschulsky extracts. Food Chem. 2012, 134, 1885–1891. [ Google Scholar] [ CrossRef] [ PubMed] Feinberg, A. R., Feinberg, S. M., & Benaim-Pinto, C. (1956). Asthma and rhinitis from insect allergens: I. Clinical importance. Journal of Allergy, 27(5), 437–444.