Forum - UN Conference Promotes Eating Insects

Crickets, caterpillars and grubs are high in protein and minerals and could be an important food source during droughts and other emergencies, according to scientists.

"I definitely think they can assist," said German biologist V.B. Meyer-Rochow, who regularly eats insects and wore a T-shirt with a Harlequin longhorn beetle to a U.N.-sponsored conference this month on promoting bugs as a food source.

The U.N. Food and Agriculture Organization estimates 1,400 species of insects and worms are eaten in almost 90 countries in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Researchers at the conference detailed how crickets and silk worms are eaten in Thailand, grubs and grasshoppers in Africa and ants in South America.

Professor Arnold van Huis, a tropical entomologist known as "Mr. Edible Insect" in his native Netherlands, blamed a Western bias against eating insects for the failure of aid agencies to incorporate bugs into their mix.

"They are completely biased," van Huis said. "They really have to change. I would urge other donor organizations to take a different attitude toward this ... It's excellent food. It can be sustainable with precautions."

There are questions about the safety of eating bugs and potential dangers from over-harvesting them, said Patrick Durst, a Bangkok-based senior forestry officer at the FAO, who became interested in the practice known scientifically as entomophagy during his years working in Bangkok, where crickets and bamboo worms are sold as food by street vendors.

AP Feb 24, 2008

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Actually, if you pull a crickets head off and skewr it on a stick and then roast it over a fire, they're not all that bad. There are a lot of bugs that you can eat but you need to learn what is safe. Ants are a good source of food and so are bees. But like dominixe says; check with an entimologist first.

Paul, have you ever eaten crickets or other insects? I think if you're really hungry it would seem not so abominable :)

A day or two ago I watched a reality show about several teens working in the African desert. In that episode they used to eat local insects. I can only say ti wasn't a sight for nervous people! But I am sorry for I cannot remember the name of this program now.

I guess it's called Serious Desert. I also saw some episodes and a teaser where those nice and nourishing bugs were shown :))) But I wouldn't call it an ordinary reality show, it is too interesting and it is staged outdoors.

Oh thank you! Yes, it was named The Serious Desert and I also wouldn't call it an ordinary reality show. I actually don't like those shows at all but some outdoor shows are exciting and informative, especially if staged on nature with some exotic landscapes and folks. Just like this one, it is much more interesting also because it is about children, not adults though they of course participate too.

In my opinion there are only cultural differences and nothing extraordinary here in fact. Many of us like to eat lobsters, shrimps and cancers. Shrimps and especially boiled river cancers and crabs are very delicious IMHO. But eating water arthropodas (that are, however, close relatives of insects) is loathsome for people on the Middle East. They cannot even imagine themselves eating such vile creatures.

Letusdoit,

Yes I have eaten bugs, river rat, snakes, dogs, horse and monkey. Monkey is a vile tasting meat. I only did it because I was assigned to work with Vietnamese, Korean and Thai trops while in Vietnam.

Oh Paul, i could never believe that monkey tastes the worst!.Is it worse than bugs or dogs?

You bet! I'd rather eat a dragon fly any day over monkey meat. And dragon flies are nasty.
Do you know how to tell a happy motor cyclist? Count the bugs in his teeth.

As I understood, Korean and Vietnamese lads were fond of monkey meat as same as of insects, weren't they???

I ate the monkey meat with Thai troops. Every one ate insects. If you can roast them or fry them the insects aren't so bad. It's best if you can sowllow them with out chewing:))

I believe...)))
Do they taste so bad if even fried? Maybe it was just a wrong sort of insects? :)