Consuming Insects, i.e. The Study of Attitudes Related to Entomophagy

Abstract

Our globally growing society, whose number has already exceeded 8 billion, will certainly follow the current growing trend in the coming times. In the future, the increased population will necessarily need more food, which is hindered by the decreasing amount of arable land and desertification. The food problem of the future must be solved by the people of today by researching alternative possibilities. Currently we can see that they are trying to increase the stock that can be raised and produced, by genetically modifying the edible animals and plants, and by the excessive usage of fertilizers and sprays. Unfortunately, these solutions, although they may fix the problem, create new ones in the process. The long-term effect of genetic modification is not yet known, and products known as fertilizers and insecticide have been proven to have a harmful effect on the human body. A possible alternative solution, which has been suspected for a long time, is the inclusion of insects in food. We Europeans may have concerns about this possibility, since it has not yet appeared in our nutritional culture. Our article is intended to explore the physiological effects of consumption to describe the current market trends and to find out what consumers think and what they would (not) like to consume. Our research mentions the legal background and highlights current results related to entomophagy. In addition to the advantages of consumption, we also determine the disadvantages.