Singapore Approves 16 Insect Species for Human Consumption
July 18, 2024 6:41 PM Subscribe
related video content: Atlas Obscura's food-focused Gastro Obscura on The Joy of Eating Insects & BBC's Can Eating Bugs Save the World.
posted by juv3nal at 7:39 PM on July 18
posted by juv3nal at 7:39 PM on July 18
Interesting to see that honeybees are included in that list in both larvael and adult stages.
And as far as I can see, the Mopani worm is not? I was surprised by that as it's the insect I'm most familiar with people eating, but maybe it's a regional thing and you don't get them in Singapore
posted by Zumbador at 8:19 PM on July 18 [1 favorite]
And as far as I can see, the Mopani worm is not? I was surprised by that as it's the insect I'm most familiar with people eating, but maybe it's a regional thing and you don't get them in Singapore
posted by Zumbador at 8:19 PM on July 18 [1 favorite]
I have never understood the idea that farming insects solves a problem If the problem is food scarcity, growing food for insects and eating those insects is less efficient than just eating the food itself. And if the problem is that people don't want to be vegan/vegetarian then yeah, the folks who like meat aren't going to be tricked or pressured into bugs.
The claim that you would only feed the insects parts of the plant that humans can't eat and plants from marginal land is that there are always more food productive things to do with inedible crop residue like green manuering, composting and biochar; and there are also lots of specialty crops that humans can eat from marginal environments.
Lastly, none of the "bugs or goats or cows eat what we can't" operations work that way. They feed and supplement from grain, straw and hay from prime crop lands or they forage freely from public lands instead of planting human food on those lands. Its all nonsense.
posted by No Climate - No Food, No Food - No Future. at 8:30 PM on July 18
The claim that you would only feed the insects parts of the plant that humans can't eat and plants from marginal land is that there are always more food productive things to do with inedible crop residue like green manuering, composting and biochar; and there are also lots of specialty crops that humans can eat from marginal environments.
Lastly, none of the "bugs or goats or cows eat what we can't" operations work that way. They feed and supplement from grain, straw and hay from prime crop lands or they forage freely from public lands instead of planting human food on those lands. Its all nonsense.
posted by No Climate - No Food, No Food - No Future. at 8:30 PM on July 18
Crustaceans are water bugs. Don’t remember the last time I ate one. Will also not eat bugs. They are fucking bugs…
posted by Windopaene at 8:31 PM on July 18
posted by Windopaene at 8:31 PM on July 18
I've seen that headline and refused to click eversl times. I finally fell for it and.... I'm underwhelmed.
Insects are commonly eaten in some cultures and can be delicious. I'd happily eat more sweet and crunchy ants like those I ate in Thailand (by the handfull...) or some sort of cricket also in Thailand.
I don't get the knee-jerk gross-out that eating insects seems to inspire. Yes they're uncommon, but so is eating chicken or beef for various people and times. They're crunchy. They're grown and processed under sanitary conditions, and they take less space to grow than fish, red meat, or poultry.
posted by esoteric things at 9:02 PM on July 18 [2 favorites]
Insects are commonly eaten in some cultures and can be delicious. I'd happily eat more sweet and crunchy ants like those I ate in Thailand (by the handfull...) or some sort of cricket also in Thailand.
I don't get the knee-jerk gross-out that eating insects seems to inspire. Yes they're uncommon, but so is eating chicken or beef for various people and times. They're crunchy. They're grown and processed under sanitary conditions, and they take less space to grow than fish, red meat, or poultry.
posted by esoteric things at 9:02 PM on July 18 [2 favorites]
I don't get the knee-jerk gross-out that eating insects seems to inspire. Yes they're uncommon, but so is eating chicken or beef for various people and times.
Right? Like I totally don't get the sentiment behind "folks who like meat aren't going to be tricked or pressured into bugs." Sure you're not going to win everyone over but it doesn't take a trick or pressure if they're delicious in their own right.
posted by juv3nal at 9:06 PM on July 18 [1 favorite]
Right? Like I totally don't get the sentiment behind "folks who like meat aren't going to be tricked or pressured into bugs." Sure you're not going to win everyone over but it doesn't take a trick or pressure if they're delicious in their own right.
posted by juv3nal at 9:06 PM on July 18 [1 favorite]
I don't get the knee-jerk gross-out that eating insects seems to inspire. Yes they're uncommon, but so is eating chicken or beef for various people and times. They're crunchy. They're grown and processed under sanitary conditions, and they take less space to grow than fish, red meat, or poultry.
Cultures are different ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Bugs could taste better than BBQ brisket and I still wouldn't want to eat one. I've been programmed to think they're gross by my upbringing and society, and I mean gross in a way that's beyond mere taste. I don't know how to deprogram myself and tbqh I don't have much incentive to want to try.
posted by axiom at 9:26 PM on July 18 [1 favorite]
Cultures are different ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ Bugs could taste better than BBQ brisket and I still wouldn't want to eat one. I've been programmed to think they're gross by my upbringing and society, and I mean gross in a way that's beyond mere taste. I don't know how to deprogram myself and tbqh I don't have much incentive to want to try.
posted by axiom at 9:26 PM on July 18 [1 favorite]
Some bugs are super delicious. Roasted crickets are my favorite of what I’ve sampled, like a crunchy nutty garnish. I’m not sure about how well bugs would do as staple proteins, but I do love to eat crustaceans so I’d happily be proved wrong. I’m the person at the sushi joint absolutely psyched about the fried shrimp heads. But they are all treat foods, really.
On the other hand, though, I’ve seen videos of people with small farms catch invasive insects in massive amounts and use the catch as nutritious feed for chickens. Any kind of holistic utilization of the environment as it currently is to minimize resource waste is smart, especially if it can even out some of the outsized impact of meat production. In the article they talk about Singapore’s reliance on imports and how the insect legalization thing is part of increasing their own food production.
I do think that insects and arachnids and all manner of creepy crawlies are underutilized in modern agriculture. Maybe the bug eating thing doesn’t ever go beyond fun garnishes and high protein flours in humans, but figuring out less impactful ways to harvest bugs in large amounts is a good thing regardless. It might lead to more specialized animal farming in different environments so farmers as less dependent on imported feed. It might lead to people celebrating hyper local insect types and engaging with their natural environment. It might even help some people maintain a more balanced diet if the bugs really are affordable and destigmatized - I could see the accidentally vegetarian people leaning more easily toward accidentally bug and vegetarian, rather than accidentally pescatarian, you know?
One of these days Disney is gonna get in on the bug eating thing. They’ve got a whole premade propaganda reel in the fun parts of The Lion King. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did a bug focused special meal at one of their gazillion restaurants at some point, but I’m not enough of a Disney Adult to know if they ever did. I’m telling you though, these bug farmers need to reach out for collaborations.
posted by Mizu at 9:35 PM on July 18 [2 favorites]
On the other hand, though, I’ve seen videos of people with small farms catch invasive insects in massive amounts and use the catch as nutritious feed for chickens. Any kind of holistic utilization of the environment as it currently is to minimize resource waste is smart, especially if it can even out some of the outsized impact of meat production. In the article they talk about Singapore’s reliance on imports and how the insect legalization thing is part of increasing their own food production.
I do think that insects and arachnids and all manner of creepy crawlies are underutilized in modern agriculture. Maybe the bug eating thing doesn’t ever go beyond fun garnishes and high protein flours in humans, but figuring out less impactful ways to harvest bugs in large amounts is a good thing regardless. It might lead to more specialized animal farming in different environments so farmers as less dependent on imported feed. It might lead to people celebrating hyper local insect types and engaging with their natural environment. It might even help some people maintain a more balanced diet if the bugs really are affordable and destigmatized - I could see the accidentally vegetarian people leaning more easily toward accidentally bug and vegetarian, rather than accidentally pescatarian, you know?
One of these days Disney is gonna get in on the bug eating thing. They’ve got a whole premade propaganda reel in the fun parts of The Lion King. I wouldn’t be surprised if they did a bug focused special meal at one of their gazillion restaurants at some point, but I’m not enough of a Disney Adult to know if they ever did. I’m telling you though, these bug farmers need to reach out for collaborations.
posted by Mizu at 9:35 PM on July 18 [2 favorites]
I think exploring protein sources that produce less carbon dioxide and methane (greenhouse gases that cause climate change) and/or use less water is great.
I didn't post this to be like "look at this weird food people in [place] eat",
but rather "hey, look at this cool option for humans to get the protein they need with a smaller environmental footprint."
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:47 PM on July 18 [5 favorites]
I didn't post this to be like "look at this weird food people in [place] eat",
but rather "hey, look at this cool option for humans to get the protein they need with a smaller environmental footprint."
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 10:47 PM on July 18 [5 favorites]
Alex Jones is going to have a kitty.
posted by Scattercat at 11:52 PM on July 18 [1 favorite]
posted by Scattercat at 11:52 PM on July 18 [1 favorite]
My big problem with bugs as food is not the bugs, it’s the idea that you can farm bugs industrially and everything is going to be fine. Like, we all know you should eat less meat. Environmentally, meat farming is a disaster that keeps rolling because people like eating meat, and I think that a lot of this enthusiasm for insects-as-food is companies thinking that people will just switch over to bugs as part of their diet when regular meat gets too expensive. Never mind that it’s the farming itself that is the toxic, expensive, disease-ridden part of the meat industry, and they’re going to replicate the same thing with insects.
And in the mean time tofu is right there.
posted by The River Ivel at 2:03 AM on July 19 [1 favorite]
And in the mean time tofu is right there.
posted by The River Ivel at 2:03 AM on July 19 [1 favorite]
And in the mean time tofu is right there.
I've been a vegetarian for 35 years.
I also know a lot of people who can't meet all their protein needs without animal protein,
due to conditions like
Irritable Bowel Syndrome;
Endometriosis;
inability to digest FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, found in a lot of fruit, vegetables and grains)
Food Intolerances, and more.
I'm 100% in favour of everyone eating less meat, or no meat, if that's possible for them.
But we need to realise that for many people, that genuinely won't work for them for health reasons.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 2:22 AM on July 19 [2 favorites]
I've been a vegetarian for 35 years.
I also know a lot of people who can't meet all their protein needs without animal protein,
due to conditions like
Irritable Bowel Syndrome;
Endometriosis;
inability to digest FODMAPs (fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, found in a lot of fruit, vegetables and grains)
Food Intolerances, and more.
I'm 100% in favour of everyone eating less meat, or no meat, if that's possible for them.
But we need to realise that for many people, that genuinely won't work for them for health reasons.
posted by chariot pulled by cassowaries at 2:22 AM on July 19 [2 favorites]
I am not a big fan of bug texture per-se but happy to have them processed into foodstuff (15% cricket in my bread flour would be great) while my kids are actively pro-bugs having grown up with them as a fun snack in Cambodia.
The 30% by 2030 thing is pretty serious because we need food imports for a large urban population with no strategically secure hinterland. We're a dense citystate so any food production needs to be intensive output for space and low-risk for zootic diseases - chicken farming got pushed offshore recently after pork, and I think the only 'regular' livestock we still have are fish, goats and frogs. Bugs are lower in water and space requirements, and we are pretty good at automating the hell out of these things. From a city-planning perspective, having a solid protein-source that you can switch over safely to human consumption during a crisis is smart. Plenty of people here will be too squeamish to eat them but I remember when they introduced NEWater, the wastewater refiltered drinking water, and no-one cares about that now.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:26 AM on July 19
The 30% by 2030 thing is pretty serious because we need food imports for a large urban population with no strategically secure hinterland. We're a dense citystate so any food production needs to be intensive output for space and low-risk for zootic diseases - chicken farming got pushed offshore recently after pork, and I think the only 'regular' livestock we still have are fish, goats and frogs. Bugs are lower in water and space requirements, and we are pretty good at automating the hell out of these things. From a city-planning perspective, having a solid protein-source that you can switch over safely to human consumption during a crisis is smart. Plenty of people here will be too squeamish to eat them but I remember when they introduced NEWater, the wastewater refiltered drinking water, and no-one cares about that now.
posted by dorothyisunderwood at 3:26 AM on July 19
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now off to read the article.
posted by the antecedent of that pronoun at 7:15 PM on July 18