Crunching into the future: will bugs become your new favourite (sustainable) dining choice?

At a recent conference in Singapore “Insects to Feed the World,” chefs utilized insects, particularly crickets, as a sustainable, nutritious food option. However, many attendees chose traditional dishes despite the ecological benefits and nutrient density of the crickets. Statistically speaking, around two billion people today already include insects in their diets globally, but in countries like Singapore and the EU, the idea of eating insects is still met with hesitation.
Chefs Nicholas Low from New York and Joseph Yoon from Singapore are working to make insects more palatable by incorporating them into familiar recipes, like laksa and stir-fried noodles. However, shifting perceptions and integrating insects into mainstream cuisine remains challenging. Cultural stigmas, often shaped by colonial history and globalization, and the novelty of such foods pose barriers to wider acceptance.
Even though there is historical evidence of insect intake in many societies, these foods have decreased in favour of more Western dietary practices. However, efforts to reintroduce them into menus may encounter less resistance when insects become as commonplace as once-outmoded foods like sushi and lobster. To summarize, even though they are thought to be the superfoods of the future, there are still many psychological and cultural barriers to the universal acceptance of insects.

BBC News (https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cly9z6412q2o)