You Eat Bugs - Is it Knowingly or Accidental?

I have to admit, when I think of people eating bugs, I think about ancient cultures and survivalists. The suburban family of five does not spring to mind.

According to the Scientific American, it's estimated that individuals unknowingly ingest between one and two lbs of insects annually. Most of this is due to the less than sterile process of canning vegetables and fruit preserves. Insects are not thoroughly removed before everything is sealed up and shipped out. But, accidents happen, right?

Well, you may also want to be aware of the fact that confectioners glaze and red food dye are intentionally made with insects. The Lac bug is used to make glaze, which is used for everything from candy to furniture.

The cochineal beetle is our source for red food dye. It's used for everything, from red candy to red lipstick. Even Starbucks admitted to using it in their beverages at one point. You can read about that here: http://blogs.starbucks.com/blogs/customer/archive/2012/04/19/cochineal-extract-update.aspx

On the other end of the spectrum, if you are one of the 80% if the world's population that willing consumes insects, you may want to check out these companies.

Hotlix is a company that specializes in insect lollipops. They do custom work, but routinely go through 300,000 worms and 100,000 crickets every week. Here's their site: http://www.hotlix.com/candy/

If you're in the market for every insect that can legally be sold in the U.S., you should check out edibleinsects.com Here you can find an assortment of insects in a variety of different forms. They state that their biggest costumers are those on the Paleo diet.

Lastly, there is Bitty. This company specializes in baked goods, using cricket flour. Their most popular product, cookies, seem to win over practically everyone brave enough to try it. To find out for yourself, check out their site here: https://bittyfoods.com/

It seems that it is inevitable that you will ingest insects in some way, the question is whether or not you want to. What do you think of these companies. Is this just a weird fetish or the future of protein sustainability?

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