Eating Bugs - The Future of Our Cuisine?
Raised in a Mediterranean family, I have always enjoyed seafood. Crabs, lobster, and shrimp were all staples for me growing up. My family and I ate them without a second thought, cracking shells and ripping off legs. However, there came a time when I was confronted by a dilemma. My grandparents took me to the Aquarium one summer when I was younger, and there was exhibit on insects as food. Crickets and mealworms had been cooked up nicely and were being served with all different kinds of seasonings. Curious as always, I wondered what they would taste like. Seizing the opportunity, I asked the employee running the stall if I could try one. “Uh, could I try a mealworm with the sour cream and onion topping please?” I asked in a voice tinged with uncertainty. Holding the little worm in my hand, I steeled myself. What would it taste like? Wasting no time, I popped it into my mouth. However, upon putting the creature in my mouth, the reality of my situation hit me. There was a worm in my mouth. A worm in my mouth. Suddenly, what would have been a delicious seasoning tasted like a pungent mess in my mouth as I struggled to force the bug down. Truthfully, it didn’t taste that bad. Like a very small, very crunchy sour cream and onion french fry. Despite this, I still spent a solid five minutes gagging over the (thankfully nearby) ladies restroom toilet. After the ordeal though, I was left with a sense of accomplishment. Really, it wasn’t that bad! So, why was everyone so freaked out about this? They’re edible. They taste okay. So what’s the big deal? Of course, I can answer that question for myself. We’re taught that insects are gross. They’re creepy- crawlies. In our society it’s only acceptable to eat a bug because you’re five and your friends on the playground dared you to, but if we only opened our eyes to the opportunities that the consumption of bugs could provide for us a world of possibilities would open up. In reality, to us the notion of cracking shells and ripping off legs doesn’t sound unpleasant in the context of seafood, so why should it be disgusting to eat a tarantula or grasshopper? What many people in the Western world turn a blind eye to is that by eating insects we could have a wide-spread sustainable food source, we could spread wealth through out the economy by create a new and booming job market, and could successfully end widespread famines. It is for these reasons that the consumption of bugs is the key to a sustainable, successful future.
When considering a new food source, its sustainability is always a crucial factor. It order to comprehend the amazing potential we are looking at with insect farming, we must first understand our current conditions. Livestock farming is known to be notorious for messing things up on our earth. First of all, the treatment of the cattle is most often awful. The animals are most commonly kept in close quarters inside massive climate-controlled feedlots. Each confined animal feeding operation or CAFO can house up to thousands of animals. Commonly, to ward off disease and extend lifetimes, the animals are given many antibiotics and growth hormones. The waste products of these animals are also becoming a growing concern, as currently all the waste of animals in CAFOs is stored in massive lagoons or, in smaller operations, the manure is spread on available land. However, only traditional farmers are able to used the latter method for waste disposal; in industrial farming, the sheer animal concentration creates far too much waste for far too little land. Due to this, industrial companies will always choose to use the former method of waste disposal, putting all the manure into massive lagoons on their property. These lagoons can hold millions of gallons of manure, but in some cases leakage can occur, which is when problems truly arise. This is due to the fact that raw manure can contain up to 100 million fecal coliform bacteria per gram. When this is fact is considered in relation to the estimated 44,000 pounds of manure that each dairy cow produces in one year, the problem becomes evident. In addition, raw cow manure can also contain ammonia, phosphorus, and other nutrients and microbes that can contaminate soil in high concentrations. Minerals and nutrients found in manure, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, can be helpful in the enriching of soil but dangerous in high concentrations. In addition, E.Coli bacteria have been found in the manure of a quarter of the beef cattle on large feedlots. Unfortunately, it seems that pollution problems from CAFO manure are large and spreading. However, insect farming could drastically reduce, if not eliminate all of these problems. This is due to the fact that insects need to consume very little, so it would cost less to provide food to them, both is resources and energy. Due to the fact that insects consume very little, they also produce very little waste, which would solve the evident and growing manure problem. In addition, if eating insects became widely accepted, the space taken up for the CAFOs could be used for growing things that take up much less space, such as fruit and vegetable crops. The increased overall food production means that greater quantities of food could be sent to third-world and developing countries, which could perhaps begin to put an end to wide-spread famines.
However, it seems that already in its infant stages, the insect- eating movement is beginning to help people in developing countries. While I watched the documentary Can Eating Insects Save the World? I was introduced to a group of children of ages roughly eleven to sixteen in Cambodia who were renowned “tarantula hunters”. With their families out at work all day, they had no choice to feed themselves. Because of this, they took to the fields to hunt for a delicious breakfast and lunch- tarantulas. These are children in extreme poverty who would otherwise probably not have made it to the ages that they are. In the documentary, the narrator and journalist notices how stunted the children’s growth is. They are, in facial features and body size, prepubescent. They look like young children, with wiry limbs and baby faces. This, of course, is due to severe malnutrition. In fact, the only thing that is likely keeping them healthy and alive is their daily meals of tarantula. Obviously, without this dependable food source the children would be near death, as well as many like them. In addition, due to cheaper production costs and greater quantities of food produced, the market price of insects is quite a bit cheaper. However, there are some people, like the children of Cambodia, that cannot easily go to the market to buy dinner or lunch. In this case, they are still in luck due to the fact that insects will always be available for catching almost anywhere on earth. Due to their cost-effectiveness to produce and raise, their easy access in the wild, and their high nutrient content, they make very feasible sustenance for those in developing countries.
In addition to being good food for those in developing countries, insects can also be the gateway to many jobs for those that otherwise would not have them. In the documentary, I was introduced to many different people that held very profitable jobs due to the bug farming industry. We met a man who made his living in the ant farming industry, going out to collect fire ants from their nests. He ran an extremely profitable business, as red ants are an extreme delicacy where he lived (Thailand) and in the surrounding countries. We were also introduced to a couple in Thailand who ran a cricket farm, doing very good business though their farm was a small farmhouse with many plastic bins. They had mastered the art of raising crickets from pupae to full-grown adults and selling them for a good price to markets and vendors. To the reporter that interviewed them, they explained that crickets can grow to full adult size within roughly three months, which allowed them to have a very fluid and constant outflow of product and intake of money, which kept their farm running. In the documentary, we also got a glimpse into the markets of Thailand, where bugs are sold like french fries to business people and tourists alike. Lastly, we met a man and his crew of grasshopper catchers in the rice fields of Thailand. Night after night, they stayed up to take to the fields and catch themselves a daily wage. Most of these critter-catchers were teenagers and young adults that would not otherwise have had jobs. Perhaps they needed to support their parents or family members, or provide for their children. In any case, they would likely not have been able to achieve this breadwinner status without Thailand’s insatiable hunger for bugs. Stories like this truly put into perspective the amazing impact that insect farming can have on the job market.
We in Canada eat close relations of creepy-crawlies, lobsters and shrimp, but cannot fathom eating a cricket or mealworm. However, we need to realize that our amazing country could become even better if we started putting some ants and grasshoppers on our plates. We could increase the job market, effectively eliminate widespread famine across the world, and ensure our environments safety from harmful byproducts of CAFO. Indeed, putting insects on our table in the coming days promises not only some seriously grossed-out family members, but also the promise of a brighter and better future for us here on planet Earth!
What do you think - feel free to discuss it!
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