Bringing Insects Back to the Dining Table
Globally, there are over 1,900 species of insects known to be edible. Besides containing the amino acids that a human body needs, these insects are also high in protein and low in fat, making them excellent healthy foods. As they have a shorter breeding cycle and produce less pollution, they are considered “new foods” with the potential to solve the world’s food crisis. However, can an “insect-eating culture” be popularized in modern society today, despite the fact that it has long existed in many traditional cultures?
Insects are a very ideal source of protein. They grow and reproduce rapidly, so to produce the same amount of protein as from livestock such as pigs, cows and chickens, the feed and space needed to breed insects will be far less. The pollution produced during the breeding process is also lower. For this reason, since 2003, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has been promoting the consumption of insects to address the food crisis caused by the global population explosion. In 2013, the organization published a report of more than 200 pages, exploring the importance of insect consumption. Similarly, the Singapore Food Agency conducted public consultations in 2022 on the importation of edible insect products and plans to approve insects for sale as food this year. In recent years, there have also been calls for the popularization of insect consumption in Europe, the United States and Japan, where we find insects being ground into powder and made into snacks, such as protein bars and rice cracker.
Decades ago in Hong Kong, there were eateries that sold diving beetles and locusts etc. But as the farmlands decreased, it became difficult to collect these edible insects, and the eateries gradually disappeared. In 2018, the Centre for Food Safety published articles related to insect consumption, but they only discussed the safety of eating insects; other government agencies have not given special attention, nor promoted insect consumption. In comparison, the development and growth of plant-based meat and artificial meat, which are also solutions to the global food crisis, is clearly more vigorous in Hong Kong. Retail outlets and restaurants that sell such products are not hard to find, while stores selling insects as ingredients or restaurants using insects in their dishes are extremely rare.
Dietary Culture Changes Over Time
Currently, in most advanced regions, the consumption of insects is often regarded as a symbol of poverty and backwardness, and even labelled as a curiosity. Interestingly, the American lobster, now considered a premium ingredient, was an inferior food meant for prisoners and slaves before the 19th century in the United States; in Ireland, potatoes were once only eaten by the poor. It was only after merchants and rulers“ upscaled” these two ingredients, packaging them as food for the upper class, that they became the beloved foods of today.
Actually, Hong Kongers are very receptive to the insect-looking Cordyceps (a kind of fungus that lives on certain caterpillars), and even consider it a high-end medicinal herb. The Japanese Palolo (a kind of edible ragworm) can also be found on the market, and is used in the boiling of soup; even though it is not exactly an insect, it is still in its original “worm” form. So, Hong Kongers can be said to be familiar with “insect consumption”, and perhaps with further promotion, the insect-eating culture can “worm” its way back to our dining table!
