Disgust factor needs to be overcome before people will eat insects, survey finds

New research has confirmed that the “disgust factor” needs to be overcome if people in the UK are to seriously consider eating insects to help protect the planet.

A study led by Dr Lauren McGale, lecturer in psychology at Edge Hill, with Dr Jay Duckworth of Liverpool John Moores University and Maxine Sharps of De Montfort University Leicester (DMU), found that only 13 per cent of participants would be willing to eat insects regularly and younger people were less likely to try them.


A plate of cricket larvae

The research, which explores eating insects as an option in the drive for more sustainable food production, was presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity in Venice this week.

Co-author Dr Maxine Sharps of DMU’s Psychology team, said: “We know the problems which eating meat contributes to damaging the environment and insects are high protein, low fat and easy to farm. In some parts of the world, eating insects is common but we wanted to see how people felt about it in the UK.”

The team came up with a survey which polled 603 UK adults. It asks questions about their age, gender, ethnicity and education level as well as their level of concern about the environment.

They were also asked to complete a “food disgust scale” which asked them if they would eat offal, mouldy food and included questions on how they think insects would taste.

Overall, only 13% of respondents said they would be willing to regularly consume insects, compared to 47% who said they would not be willing, and 40% who responded “maybe” or “unsure”.

“We thought that younger people might be more willing to try insects but actually it turned out the reverse was true,” said Dr Sharps. “And interestingly, people were less likely to be keen on the idea of eating insects which had been ground up and added to flour, which again was contrary to what we thought we would find.

“The disgust factor is one of the most important things we need to overcome. After all there may eventually be no choice with climate change and projected global population growth.”

Food production accounts for up to a quarter of all human greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock is a huge contributor to these emissions and researchers and policymakers are trying to develop and promote more sustainable ways to produce protein.

One option gaining attention is farming and eating insects, such as crickets, flies, and worms, due to their potential nutritional and environmental advantages over other protein sources.

Dr McGale said: “Insects are a potentially rich source of protein and micro-nutrients and could help provide a solution to the double burden of obesity and under-nutrition.

“Some insect proteins, such as ground crickets or freeze-dried mealworms, are cheaper and easier to farm, often lower in fat and have a lower environmental impact than traditional livestock.”

Dr Duckworth said: “It is really common for people to eat insects all over the world, and in some places it is even considered a delicacy but not in Western culture where we typically view it as disgusting or as a novelty food.”