Eat insects, save the world

Dr Duncan Sivell, our Curator of Diptera, reveals how eating insects could help sustain the Earth’s booming population.

Entomophagy – the eating of insects, arachnids and centipedes – isn’t a new idea. It’s mentioned ancient Roman and Greek texts and even the Bible. But Britain’s suspicious attitude towards insect-eating is far from universal. “The practice of eating insects is far more common in other cultures than in the UK. Some two billion people around the world eat insects as part of their regular diet,” explains Duncan.

Edible insects

For one of our late-night openings, Duncan created an event that challenged visitors’ preconceptions with an unusual pairing of culinary experiences – wine tasting with edible insects.

A selection of insects, including mealworms, grasshoppers, silkworms and giant ants, were each matched with a wine chosen by an expert to complement its taste.

“We wanted to use the event to draw attention to a food source that will become more common in the West,” says Duncan.

Insects are generally rich in vitamins like iron and zinc, as well as essential fatty acids like Omega-3.

They’re also low in fat and a good source of protein – a 100 gramme portion of crickets can contain as much as 69 grammes of protein.

“Insects are nutritionally comparable to meat,” says Duncan.

Sustainable living

Apart from the quick energy boost and healthier lifestyle, eating insects could also provide an economically sensible and sustainable way of life.

With Earth’s population estimated to grow from 8.2 billion to around 10.3 billion in the 2080s, the growing demand for sustainable protein sources has put entomophagy in the spotlight.

According to estimates by the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation, the livestock industry could account for roughly 70% of the planet’s agricultural land, with as much as 33% of all croplands being used to grow food for livestock.

In comparison, cultivating insects requires less space, less feed and generates less greenhouse gases.

"The massive advantage of introducing entomophagy into our diets is the respective resources needed by the two systems. Economically and ecologically, it’s much more efficient to rear insects than livestock,” says Duncan.

"And with the future issues we’re going to have, and the energy and land required to maintain our current food consumption, eating insects is going to happen.”