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. 2024 Oct 25;13(21):3408.
doi: 10.3390/foods13213408.

Edible Insects: Consumption, Perceptions, Culture and Tradition Among Adult Citizens from 14 Countries

Raquel P F Guiné  1 , Sofia G Florença  1 , Cristina A Costa  1 , Paula M R Correia  1 , Luísa Cruz-Lopes  1 , Bruno Esteves  1 , Manuela Ferreira  2 , Anabela Fragata  3 , Ana P Cardoso  3 , Sofia Campos  2 , Ofélia Anjos  4 , Nada M Boustani  5 , Elena Bartkiene  6 , Cristina Chuck-Hernández  7 , Ilija Djekic  8 , Monica Tarcea  9 , Marijana Matek Sarić  10 , Zanda Kruma  11 , Malgorzata Korzeniowska  12 , Maria Papageorgiou  13 , Leticia González Árias  14 , Maša Černelič-Bizjak  15 , Emel Damarli  16 , Vanessa Ferreira  17 , Emre Bayraktaroğlu  18 , Fatmanur Ozyurek Arpa  18
Affiliations

Edible Insects: Consumption, Perceptions, Culture and Tradition Among Adult Citizens from 14 Countries

Raquel P F Guiné et al. Foods. .

Abstract

Although edible insects (EIs) are encouraged as a sustainable source of protein, their consumption is not as generalised as other types of food that are internationally accepted. While in some regions of the world, EIs are part of the gastronomic and cultural traditions, in other regions, people are not so receptive to this type of food, and some people even express some disgust towards it. Hence, this research focused on the habits of the participants regarding the consumption of insects as well as their perceptions about EIs being or not a part of the local culture or gastronomic patrimony. A questionnaire survey was implemented in fourteen countries (Brazil, Croatia, Greece, Latvia, Lebanon, Lithuania, Mexico, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia, Slovenia, Spain, and Turkey), and globally, 7222 adult participants responded to the questionnaire. SPSS software (version 28) was used to process the data and carry out chi-square tests and Factor Analyses (FA). The obtained results showed significant differences between countries for all the questions included in the survey, either those regarding the habits of the participants or their opinions about the facts linked with EI tradition or cultural aspects. It was found that participants from Mexico consume EIs more than in all other countries and that strong motivations that would lead to consumption among those who do not consume include curiosity and food shortage. The solution obtained with FA considering the ten statements of the scale consisted of two factors: F1-Culture and Tradition of EIs (α = 0.675) and F2-Acceptance of EIs (α = 0.614). In conclusion, the consumption of EIs and the perceptions of people are highly variable according to geographic location and cultural environment.

Keywords: COVID-19; consumer habits; exotic food; gastronomy; insect consumption; questionnaire survey.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Participants in the survey according to country (n = 7222).
Figure 2
Figure 2
Distribution of the participants according to gender, age class, and living environment (classes of age: young adults, 18 to 30 years; adults, 31 to 50 years; senior adults, 50 years or over).
Figure 3
Figure 3
Distribution of the participants according to education and income.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Professional activities of the participants.
Figure 5
Figure 5
Factor Analysis component plot for solution obtained with Varimax rotation (AEI—Acceptance of EIs, CTEI—Culture and Tradition of EIs).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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