Entomophagy generally refers to the human consumption of insects or bugs as a food source. The definition of entomophagy is based on Greek roots of the words, entomon for “insects,” and phagein for “to eat.” The entomophagy definition generally refers to humans that eat insects for food, however other animals that eat insects are referred to as insectivores.
While there are numerous traditional cultures that practiced entomophagy, eastern cultures remain the highest consumers of insects as a food source in our current society. However, recent trends in entomophagy have brought insects into the western parts of the world as companies have began to create new food products such as cricket energy bars, chips made from cricket flour, cricket protein powder, cricket chocolate, and a whole assortment of entomophagy products and categories.
If you are looking for a great primer on edible insects and the future of food, the FAO put together a great report that provide an amazing amount of insights and details that you can check out HERE. Let us know if you have any questions, and don’t forget to check out our fun edible insect recipes and range of products that use roasted crickets, mealworms, black soldier fly larvae, and more in our shop at www.CricketFlours.com/shop!
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Best Urban Gastronomy BUGS - Introduction video to entomophagy is a video by Alexis Zacchi Entomophagy and Why Insect Protein Can Save The World In this video by Alexis Zacchi, the focus is on the different aspects of why entomophagy is so important to having a healthy and sustainable food chain for current and future generations. Currently, a large portion of the world's population eats beef that is raised and fed with crops that could also be used…
Insects as Food - Should We Eat Bugs? Insects as Food In a recent video produced for TED-Ed by Emma Bryce called, "Should we eat bugs?" the topic of eating insects for food is main the focus. Historically, our ancestors have been eating insects as food for centuries. Eating insects as food was probably learned from other animals and then incorporated into our own diets. The practice of using insects as food became a staple in our diets as it provided a new…
Edible Insects: Future Prospect for Food and Feed Security (Fao Forestry Paper) Buy on Amazon Edible insects have always been a part of human diets, but in some societies there remains a degree of disdain and disgust for their consumption. Insects offer a significant opportunity to merge traditional knowledge and modern science to improve human food security worldwide. This publication describes the contribution of insects to food security and examines future prospects for raising insects at a commercial scale to improve food and feed production, diversify diets,…
Entomophagy: Feeding a Growing Population Without Destroying the Planet Entomophagy: Feeding a Growing Population Without Destroying the Planet by Robert Nathan Allen The Impact Insect Protein and Cricket Flour Could Have on Our Future This is a great video in the style of TED talks in which Robert Nathan Allen, founder of the non-profit Little Herds, discusses the impact our current sources of meat have on our planet and how insect protein is the best solution. Current agricultural systems will struggle to keep pace as…
