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How then shall we eat? Insect-eating attitudes and sustainable foodways

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  • Heather Looy
  • Florence Dunkel
  • John Wood

Abstract

Negative attitudes toward invertebrates are a deep-seated, visceral response among Western peoples. These internalized aversions toward insects and other terrestrial arthropods, both in general and specifically as a food source, subtly and systemically contribute to unsustainable global foodways. Insect cuisine is, for Westerners, emblematic of the alien, a threat to our psychological and cultural identity. Yet failure to embrace entomophagy prevents us from seeing the full humanity of those of other classes, races, and cultures, and leads to agricultural and food policy decisions that fail in their objectives to improve nourishment for all people. Key to enabling the world’s peoples to live sustainably with the land are: (1) awareness of the psychological and cultural barriers to a more insect-positive perspective (2) embracing insects as a desirable food resource, (3) understanding the processes by which those barriers are constructed, their negative consequences, and (4) identifying strategies for transforming our attitudes. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht 2014

Suggested Citation

  • Heather Looy & Florence Dunkel & John Wood, 2014. "How then shall we eat? Insect-eating attitudes and sustainable foodways," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 31(1), pages 131-141, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:spr:agrhuv:v:31:y:2014:i:1:p:131-141
    DOI: 10.1007/s10460-013-9450-x
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    1. Laura Emma Milani Marin & Alessandra Cecilia Jacomuzzi, 2020. "Insects at the table: What consumers know," RIVISTA DI STUDI SULLA SOSTENIBILITA', FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 0(1), pages 195-208.
    2. Marta Ros-Baró & Violeida Sánchez-Socarrás & Maria Santos-Pagès & Anna Bach-Faig & Alicia Aguilar-Martínez, 2022. "Consumers’ Acceptability and Perception of Edible Insects as an Emerging Protein Source," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(23), pages 1-13, November.
    3. Brunella Arru & Roberto Furesi & Pietro Pulina & Fabio A. Madau, 2022. "Price Sensitivity of Fish Fed with Insect Meal: An Analysis on Italian Consumers," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-21, May.
    4. Harvey S. James, 2023. "Agriculture and human values at 40 years: reflections on its scale and scope," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 40(1), pages 25-30, March.
    5. Lenka Kouřimská & Veronika Kotrbová & Martin Kulma & Anna Adámková & Jiří Mlček & Monika Sabolová & Dana Homolková, 2020. "Attitude of assessors in the Czech Republic to the consumption of house cricket Acheta domestica L. - A preliminary study," Czech Journal of Food Sciences, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 38(1), pages 72-76.
    6. Pambo, Kennedy O. & Okello, Julius J. & Mbeche, Robert & Kinyuru, John N., 2016. "Consumer Acceptance of Edible Insects for Non-Meat Protein in Western Kenya," 2016 Fifth International Conference, September 23-26, 2016, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia 246317, African Association of Agricultural Economists (AAAE).
    7. Enrica Iannuzzi & Roberta Sisto & Claudio Nigro, 2019. "The willingness to consume insect-based food: an empirical research on Italian consumers," Agricultural Economics, Czech Academy of Agricultural Sciences, vol. 65(10), pages 454-462.
    8. Lorenzo A. Cadinu & Paolo Barra & Francesco Torre & Francesco Delogu & Fabio A. Madau, 2020. "Insect Rearing: Potential, Challenges, and Circularity," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(11), pages 1-23, June.
    9. Cecilia Conti & Annamaria Costa & Claudia Maria Balzaretti & Vincenzo Russo & Doriana Eurosia Angela Tedesco, 2018. "Survey on Food Preferences of University Students: from Tradition to New Food Customs?," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 8(10), pages 1-12, October.
    10. Valerie J. Stull & Mukata Wamulume & Mwangala I. Mwalukanga & Alisad Banda & Rachel S. Bergmans & Michael M. Bell, 2018. "“We like insects here”: entomophagy and society in a Zambian village," Agriculture and Human Values, Springer;The Agriculture, Food, & Human Values Society (AFHVS), vol. 35(4), pages 867-883, December.
    11. Cavallo, Carla & Materia, Valentina C., 2018. "Insects or not Insects? Dilemmas or Attraction for Young Generations: A Case in Italy," International Journal on Food System Dynamics, International Center for Management, Communication, and Research, vol. 9(3), June.
    12. Faith A. Manditsera & Catriona M. M. Lakemond & Vincenzo Fogliano & Cuthbert J. Zvidzai & Pieternel A. Luning, 2018. "Consumption patterns of edible insects in rural and urban areas of Zimbabwe: taste, nutritional value and availability are key elements for keeping the insect eating habit," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 10(3), pages 561-570, June.
    13. Céline Gallen & Gaëlle Pantin-Sohier, 2015. "La comestibilité des insectes : étude exploratoire chez les jeunes consommateurs français," Working Papers hal-01208511, HAL.
    14. Mohammed Hussen Alemu & Søren Bøye Olsen, 2020. "An analysis of the impacts of tasting experience and peer effects on consumers’ willingness to pay for novel foods," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 36(4), pages 653-674, October.
    15. Andreas Walter & Thomas Klammsteiner & Magdalena Gassner & Carina Desirée Heussler & Suzanne Kapelari & Markus Schermer & Heribert Insam, 2020. "Black Soldier Fly School Workshops as Means to Promote Circular Economy and Environmental Awareness," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(22), pages 1-13, November.
    16. Mohammed H. Alemu & Søren B. Olsen, 2017. "Can a Repeated Opt-Out Reminder remove hypothetical bias in discrete choice experiments? An application to consumer valuation of novel food products," IFRO Working Paper 2017/05, University of Copenhagen, Department of Food and Resource Economics.

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