Insects as food: perception and acceptance

Peer-reviewed | Manuscript received: August 03, 2016 | Revision accepted: October 17, 2016

Findings from current research

Introduction

The production of animal protein is linked to high resource consumption, requiring a lot of agricultural land, water and energy. Traditional livestock farming and meat production are also morally questionable. Interest in alternative protein sources which can be produced using fewer resources has rapidly increased in recent years. Due to a report by the FAO [1] and the commitment of individual scientists, public interest in insects as an alternative protein source has increased.

Insects can be a source of high-quality protein (i.e. source of essential amino acids, vitamins and minerals) depending on the species, stage of development and diet [2]. In comparison to some meat products they also have lower concentrations of cholesterol alongside a favorable n-3/n-6-fatty acid ratio [3–5]. Another advantage of insects is that their production is comparatively environmentally-friendly. A recently published comparison of the environmental impact of different meat alternatives demonstrated that insect and soya flour based alternatives have the lowest environmental impact, that milk and gluten-based alternatives have a moderate impact and that cultured meat or myco-, i.e. mushroom based, analogues (e.g. QuornTM) have the highest impact [6].

Abstract

The global demand for animal protein will continue to increase in the coming years. In order to meet this growing demand and to move towards sustainable nutrition, insects appear to be a good alternative to traditionally produced animal protein. The acceptance of insects as an alternative protein source is still low among Western consumers. This systematic literature review reveals the extent to which people are willing to eat insects in Europe, as well as which influencial factors have already been examined and which strategies to increase acceptance are promising. Further research is required to better understand how insects could be made more attractive to the Western market. However, it remains to be seen whether insects will find a place in the diet of Western consumers.

Keywords: consumers, insects, willingness to eat, disgust, food neophobia, entomophagy

Full text PDF (free access)