'Disgust factor' must be overcome if planet-friendly insect food to become mainstream

The "disgust factor" must be overcome if insect-based foods are to become mainstream, according to a study.

Insects can be high in protein and making them more acceptable could help cut the high greenhouse gas emissions that come from farming cattle.

There are also potential benefits for cutting obesity and researchers say the idea of farming insects is gaining more attention.

Hundreds of millions of people in Asia, Africa and Latin America are estimated to already eat insects to some degree.

There are hopes Western attitudes could shift over time, perhaps in a similar way that food such as sushi has become mainstream.

"Insects are a potentially rich source of protein and micro-nutrients and could help provide a solution to the double burden of obesity and undernutrition," said study lead Dr Lauren McGale, from Edge Hill University in Lancashire.

"Some insect proteins, such as ground crickets or freeze-dried mealworms, are cheaper and easier to farm, often lower in fat and have a lower environmental impact than traditional livestock."

However, most people are still very reluctant due to preconceptions over taste and appearance.

But the study also found they were significantly more likely to give insects a go if they are ground into a powder.

"This has been done successfully with rice products fortified with cricket or locust flours in other parts of the world," said co-author Dr Maxine Sharps from De Montfort University.

Only 13% of the 603 people questioned in the UK study said they would be willing to regularly eat insect food.

Some 47% said they wouldn't eat it regularly, and 40% were unsure.

More than 82% of people expected insect food to be crunchy, 64.6% salty, and 62.4% bitter.

Only 24% said they expected to like the flavour, with just 14.1% believing insect food would look appetising.

Younger people also appeared more squeamish - and each year younger was associated with a 2% increase in saying "no" to the idea.

"The disgust factor is one of most important challenges to be overcome," said Dr Sharps.

"After all, there may be eventually no choice with climate change and projected global population growth."

The study's findings are being presented at this week's European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice.

Sky News
Archive [May 14 2024]

 

[Bungdit Din]

Right...

I would (heh) add troons and homosex to the list, but I guess that's already covered with the ped-acceptance push.

 

[Bucephalus]

Anyone who seriously suggests converting to an insect diet should be forced to slurp down one of these bastards like a giant noodle. Perhaps then they can finally see why this retarded idea is so hated.

I hate to be "that guy", but centipedes aren't insects. They're myriapods.
It's not that I think your idea is a bad one, per se, I just think winning the game is so much more fun when you play by their rules.

Spoiler: Juicy bug delivery for Mr. Schwab!

 

[Haramburger]

Around the same time, to the northerners, they hawked bison. Bison was delicious, as good as beef but with a fat content even lower than white meat turkey, and the bison practically raise themselves. Farmers who lived in areas where the cattle froze to death (Minnesota, Nebraska, Dakotas) could raise bison with no fear of the same happening, since they're natively cold-hardy.

In both cases, the articles claimed that in ten or twenty years, we'd probably all eat a lot of these new wonder-meats, maybe as much or more as we eat beef or pork.

Of course as a burger enjoyer, I have sampled the bison burger at a Fuddruckers in recent years, and they ARE delicious. I'd compare it to elk, which they also serve as a burger, along with kobe & lamb as their other exotic options.

 

[Am I Very Wrong]

Quasimodo predicted all this

 

[cybertoaster]

What will happen is that they are just gonna grind these bugs into protein powder and add it to processed food, and because its just "protein powder" AFAYK it can be anything that contains proteins.............but its gonna be crickets for sure.

Normally EU countries would pass laws to force companies to disclose that they are using shit like this (like they did with GMO) but given the circumstances they are more likely to demand companies include a certain percentage of bug protein on food.

 

[Otterly]

Normally EU countries would pass laws to force companies to disclose that they are using shit like this (like they did with GMO) but given the circumstances they are more likely to demand companies include a certain percentage of bug protein on food.

They should have to label it purely for allergy reasons. The first person who almost dies from a reaction would be able to sue.

 

[pot of sneed]

They should have to label it purely for allergy reasons. The first person who almost dies from a reaction would be able to sue.

Unfortunately I think covid and the forced jab attempts has rendered that argument moot. They have decided we plebs don'tget to decide what goes into our bodies and if we die, so much the better.

 

[teriyakiburns]

All the "much seabugs" talk misses an important distinction between crustaceans, which are widely consumed, and the wider arthropod family. Meat. Crustaceans have meat. We don't eat the shell, the digestive system, or any if the organs of a crustacean. We eat the large muscles from the abdomen and, if they exist, from the largest forelimbs.

Insects and whatever other arthropods they want us to eat don't have that large muscles meat. Instead, the whole thing is mashed up and eaten. That means eating the chitinous carapace and all the nasties in the gut.

Chitin is toxic to humans. Regular exposure to chitin - especially broken down or powdered chitin - inevitably induces an allergic reaction. We generally avoid this issue with crustaceans because the exposure to chitin is indirect and low (though obviously still happening, otherwise shellfish allergies wouldn't be a problem). Forcing us onto a dieyof highly processed insects all but guarantees the mass inducement of chitin intolerance and allergy among the general population. It will kill people.

 

[cybertoaster]

They should have to label it purely for allergy reasons. The first person who almost dies from a reaction would be able to sue.

You got a point however they are still not gonna call it bugs but probably something like "alternative animal protein" which sounds much better than "this contains powdered bugs".

 

[Dude Snakes]

Can we just kill this article's writer? I will not eat the bugs. I am losing myself, I feel like Satan has possesed me. I HATE humanity.

 

[Otterly]

Unfortunately I think covid and the forced jab attempts has rendered that argument moot. They have decided we plebs don'tget to decide what goes into our bodies and if we die, so much the better.

It a very direct link, which is probably what would force the labelling. Shellfish allergy will usually mean big powder allergy. If someone dies from an allergic response that’s a very direct cause and effect. Covid they did a lot of hand waving, and obfuscation but this is a direct causality.
I suspect it will have to be labelled, like nuts and milk do, but they will dream up the most obscure name for the ingredient that they can and then lobby heavily for worse food labelling rules. I really hope food labelling autism prevails on this one.

Like @teriyakiburns says, mass consumption of it will lead to mass allergy. They HAVE to know this, and I’m curious as to how they plan to get around that. Or maybe they won’t, and the nutrient paste from the Taurian shelter will be a fun lottery for the poor

 

[Ukraine is Big Gay]

The "Muh planet saving superfood" argument from hippy faggots and eco dweebs is easily countered because if they really believed this shit and it wasn't just a humiliation ritual they'd just pitch mushrooms as the solution, a mushroom is closer to being a meat substitute than whatever the fuck mangle of parasite and bacteria laden goo inside an exoskeleton, and it even has more essential vitamins including some of the Bs.
And it grows on dead organic matter, it grows on trash nothing and grows rapidly and readily and literally seeds itself and we're already mass farming almost every type available with proven methods. It's inoffensive, requires minimal processing to eat and the instance rate of allergy to it is low.

VS

Something that gains hardly any mass or weight from feed, has to eat human edible crops with a terrible conversion rate to some dubious low quality protein, and since they can't fatten up the super majority of what they consume turns to bugshit. And insects have no real immune systems due to their short lived survival loop being eat shit fuck and lay a fuckload of eggs and repeat en masse. So most insects are littered with parasites and bacteria to a point where cricket flours in a lot of civilized countries are declared as a filthy inedible product.

But y'know- That would be if it were a serious pitched idea for the reasons cited. And not a "Fuck you peasant" humiliation ritual.

 

[Male Idiot]

Iudea Delenda Est, that is all that must be said. Send your goyslop meat to Israel.
View attachment 5988833

Wouldn't be the least bit shocked if the >Babylonian Talmud< said directly that, "You must only serve insects to the goyim".

It is akshually "Goyim must be castrated and fed roaches."

If we breed spiders the size of cows, I can think of other uses for them, like riding them into battle like mighty steeds and using them to cocoon globalists.

Beetles like in futurama. That would akkkshually work. The problem with bugs is too much chitin and guts, no separable meat. That's why crustaceans are fine. Even than I would eat it in addition to the steak.

This is the main reason.

Not some grand depopulation plan, not a desire to make us neoserfs, none of that.

The elite are very dumb. Very sheltered. And very prone to panic as well as not tolerating any form of humility.

They've bought their own propaganda that the world is on the brink, and all these pushes to make soylent green a thing are driven by that self-enforced fear.

They're afraid they'll run out of steak.

And their fragile egos can't stand the idea that the global elite would ever be denied steak on demand.... that would be a FATAL humbling.

And instead of expanding meat production? The easy way to fix what they legitimately think is looming beef extinction, is to convince us to eat bugs and mud.

I know this doesn't sound any different than an actual pogrom, but,

There's a subtle difference between "none for you" and "more for me", and anti meat is the latter.

Same with cars and 50 private jets.

All the "much seabugs" talk misses an important distinction between crustaceans, which are widely consumed, and the wider arthropod family. Meat. Crustaceans have meat. We don't eat the shell, the digestive system, or any if the organs of a crustacean. We eat the large muscles from the abdomen and, if they exist, from the largest forelimbs.

Insects and whatever other arthropods they want us to eat don't have that large muscles meat. Instead, the whole thing is mashed up and eaten. That means eating the chitinous carapace and all the nasties in the gut.

Chitin is toxic to humans. Regular exposure to chitin - especially broken down or powdered chitin - inevitably induces an allergic reaction. We generally avoid this issue with crustaceans because the exposure to chitin is indirect and low (though obviously still happening, otherwise shellfish allergies wouldn't be a problem). Forcing us onto a dieyof highly processed insects all but guarantees the mass inducement of chitin intolerance and allergy among the general population. It will kill people.

Yeah this. Allergies would be up the roof, and you are eating sevage deprived roach shit. This is stuff that they feed to people in grimdark, recycled feces saaar.

Bugs just aren't viable. Hungary made a law to make sure any food containing bugs gets a big warning label.

 

[Bloom Worm Cross Field]

"Disgust factor" must be overcome

Show me a current-year policy that isn't founded on this premise

 

[The Lawgiver]

Quasimodo predicted all this

I'M LOSIN TO A BIRD!