Study indicates people more ‘curious and receptive’ than expected about eating food made of bugs

A new study published in the Journal of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Economics suggests that you will eat bugs and be happy.

The research, reported by the American Psychological Association, closely examined how people “respond emotionally and physically” to food made from insects, which is being proposed as a superior, environmentally friendly source of protein. Approved edible insects include yellow mealworms, locusts, and crickets.

But there’s long been a big hurdle to getting the bug food train rolling: the perception that people are squeamish about eating a load of bugs. Well, apparently that might not be the case.

The study saw 38 adults in Portugal between the ages of 18 and 55 who’d never tried insect-based foods before. They completed a survey about their opinions of the products, then were hooked up to monitoring devices and given an insect protein bar and a regular cereal bar.

The prediction was that the participants would prefer the cereal bar and have a strong physiological reaction to the insect one. The reality was the opposite, with the participants recorded as “curious and receptive” about the insect bar. As lead author Andreia C. B. Ferreira explained:

“The findings were very surprising. This was really an unexpected result, as literature said to us that consumers tend to reject these novel foods. The results show us the relevance of tasting experiments on promoting this new alternative.”

Great news for cows

When later asked about which product they preferred, those present were “more likely” to choose the insect bar over the cereal one.

This sounds like good news for the burgeoning edible insect industry. Ferreira argues that the tactic they should follow is to get as many people trying these products as possible, as they have an unexpected positive reaction to them. She said:

“Communication should not only position insect-based food as ‘new’ but also clearly state its potential nutritional and sustainability-related advantages compared to other protein alternatives.”

It should be underlined that most Americans are already eating bugs. A study from the Center for Invasive Species Research claims that the average American eats about 2 pounds of insects and insect parts per year without realizing it, as a byproduct of accidental contamination of processed foods.

The common red food coloring carmine is also made of insects, with tiny scale bugs harvested, dried, and processed to extract carminic acid, which is turned into the stable red pigment used in yogurts, ice creams, fruit juices, cakes, cookies, and many other snacks.

So, if you’re squeamish about eating bugs, you may soon have to suppress that and join everyone else at the creepy-crawly buffet.