Journal
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF FOOD SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
Volume 56, Issue 10, Pages 4942-4958Publisher
WILEY
DOI: 10.1111/ijfs.15167
Keywords
Consumer perceptions; edible insects; entomophagy; food-evoked emotions; novel foods; sensation seeking
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Funding
- USDA NIFA Hatch project, Louisiana State University Agricultural Center [LAB94473]
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This article discusses the acceptance of edible insects in Western society, mentioning trends and theoretical approaches to insect consumption. It suggests attracting early adopters by optimizing the insect-eating experience, highlighting regional palate differences and consistent emotional responses. By implementing insect-specific legislation and product development, fear and disgust towards insect consumption may decrease.
Edible insects have been touted as a sustainable food of the future, but for Western consumers, the concept of entomophagy is largely unfamiliar and often disgusting. This review article discusses current trends in perceptual entomophagy research in Australia, Canada, Europe and the USA since 2015, along with an analysis of the guiding theoretical approaches to predicting insect consumption. Instead of trying to convince unwilling consumers, sensory and consumer science should turn to optimising insect-eating experiences for potential early adopters. Hedonic evaluations of insect-based products highlight differences in regional palates, but certain emotional responses seem consistent, including a group of newly coined 'food-evoked sensation seeking emotions'. Through clear-cut insect-inclusive legislation and effective product development, entomophagy-specific fear and disgust may diminish over time. Researchers, food companies and governments all play critical roles in integrating insects into modern food systems, but consumer behaviour will ultimately determine the success of novel foods like insects.
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