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ENTOMOPHAGY: THE BENEFITS OF IN Claire Chaudhry Community is the term used for eating insects. NHS / Freelance Over 2,000 species of insects are consumed by humans Dietitian, BCUHB worldwide, mainly in tropical regions. The ’s eggs, (NHS) and Private larvae, pupae, as well as the body have been eaten by humans from prehistoric times to the present day. In Claire’s 15 years of experience, The most popular insects consumed she has worked by humans around the world include in acute and at 31%, at 18%, community NHS settings. Claire , and at 15%, crickets, has taught and combined nutrition topics at universities make up 13%, true bugs make up 11% the regulations, insects do occasionally and colleges and and , and others end up in our food, e.g. on a leaf of your regularly provides 1 talks to groups, make up the remaining 12%. organic lettuce, or perhaps in a box of NHS and private. Entomophagy has been presented cereal. www.dietitian to the United Kingdom (UK) public claire.com with programmes like Back in Time for WHAT ARE THE ADVANTAGES OF Dinner (2015) and Doctor in the House EATING INSECTS? For full article (2016). These popular TV series featured A sustainable food source for the references episodes presenting insects as a food planet please email source with mixed opinions. Who can With a growing global concern over the info@ networkhealth forget anxious celebrities watched by increasing population throughout the group.co.uk millions in I’m a Celebrity Get Me Out of world and the unsustainable practices Here! participating in bush tucker trials used for modern factory farming of eating insects as part of a punishing , the future could be food task! shortages globally. These very real reasons enable the growing popularity WE ALREADY CONSUME INSECTS AND of eating insects, which may prove to be INSECT BY-PRODUCTS a more sustainable dietary change and is consumed all around the world or dietary addition. and is a by-product of bees that chew Insects are extremely plentiful and the pollen collected from flowers and have a large (variety) and regurgitate this as honey to feed their are found in nearly all environments. young. Cochineal, a red food colouring, Insects have a high feed conversion is made from crushed scale insects and efficiency, which is the capacity to has been used for many years in food convert feed mass into increased body products. Cochineal is found in red mass, represented as kg of feed per kg of cup cakes, pastries, yoghurts, juices weight gain. (Crickets need 2kg of feed and . According to European per 1kg of body weight; require food law, there is no published list of 12kg to produce the same amount of ‘tolerant’ levels of insect bodies/matter weight gain.) permitted in food. Food requires less water are expected to meet ‘Article 14’ of in the farming of other animals, e.g. Regulation (EC) 178/2002 2. Despite cattle, chickens and pigs. Insects also

www.NHDmag.com February 2018 - Issue 131 35 FOOD & DRINK emit less greenhouse gases which are harmful to order to process 100gm of flour/cricket the environment, compared with cattle, chicken powder an average of 1,000-1,100 crickets are and pigs. They also have fewer welfare issues required and cricket flour/powder cost ranges (although how insects experience pain is still between £5 and £10 per 100gm. unknown by entomologists).They also pose a Four brands of cricket flour’s nutritional low risk of transmitting zoonotic infections. composition were compared: ‘Cornish Edible Insect rearing or farming is inexpensive, Insects’, ‘Eat Grub’, ‘Crunchy critters’ and making it a useful livelihood in the poorest ‘Nutribug’ (see Table 1). Energy per 100gm of sections of the world, also, it does not require the cricket flour/powder was an average of 475 clearing of land to expand production. Manual calories. content in cricket flour/powder collection of wild insects could potentially save was very high with an average of 64gm protein crops by increasing production and reduce the per 100gm. Rumpold and Schluter found that need for .1,3 100gm crickets domesticus (based on dry matter) farmed in America contained between PROTEIN CONTENT OF INSECTS 55-70gm of protein (cricket flour/powder is a “Many edible insects provide satisfactory amounts of high calorie and high protein food4). energy and protein for human consumption.”4 The nutritional values of edible insects are Hazardous chemicals comparable with highly variable because of the huge diversity of commonly protein rich foods species. Even within the same group of edible An evaluation of the literature looked at the insect species, values differ depending on the prevalence of hazardous chemicals, e.g. PCBs, stage or lifecycle of the insect, their habitat, DDT (a ) and metals found in European temperature and their . Like with most Union (EU) farmed crickets Acheta domesticus. food, preparation and processing methods (e.g. The study concluded that levels of several drying, boiling or ) before consumption hazardous chemicals were relatively low in also influence the nutritional composition. farmed EU crickets and that they were similar or even lower than those measured in other Cricket flour commonly eaten foods such as , fish and The history of eggs.5 dietary patterns change, one ex- WHAT ARE THE BARRIERS TO EATING INSECTS ample is the accept- IN THE UK? ance of raw fish Consumer acceptance as sushi in the There is a limited amount of data on consumer UK; 40 years ago perception and acceptance of eating insects, this would have particular in the UK. In an area of Laos, South been unthinkable. Thus, cricket flour or cricket East , a national survey looking at the powder seems a more visually acceptable prevalence of insect consumption surveyed introduction to entomophagy. In fact, there are over 1,059 adults. The results found that 96% a number of products sold in the UK and other consumed insects and entomophagy was widely countries already, e.g. United States of America accepted in this part of the world.6 Nearer and use crickets for flour/powder, to home, a small study conducted on Italian flavoured energy bars and pasta. consumers showed that negative comments The cricket flour available to purchase in the from family members and friends seemed to UK is made from either two species of crickets: underline the importance of others’ opinions the Acheta domesticus (AD) and (especially a negative attitude) as a strong barrier the native cricket, also known as the against entomophagy.7 Mediterranean field cricket Gryllas bimaculatus. 2015 saw the launch of ‘Grub Kitchen’, Manufacturers report that the insects come from the first insect restaurant in Wales based in St farms either in the Netherlands or Thailand. In David’s, Pembrokeshire.8 Grub Kitchen has

36 www.NHDmag.com February 2018 - Issue 131 Table 1: Nutritional composition of four cricket flour/powder brands per 100gm per Cornish Edible Eat Grub (species Crunchy Critters Nutribug AD 100gm cricket Insects AD (label) not on label) AD (website) (website) flour/powder Calories (Kcal) 472 501 518 457 Protein (gm) 58.5 61.8 56.8 67.8 (gm) 8.4 8.5 5.5 5.5 Of which is sugar 4 0.5 0.5 2.8 (gm) Total (gm) Not listed 24 29.3 18.2 SFA (gm) 8.48 8.48 10.5 5.6 MUFA (gm) 5.14 5.14 7.9 Not listed PUFA (gm) 9.09 9.09 9.4 Not listed Trans fat (gm) Not listed Not listed 0.29 0.14 Fibre (gm) 6 6 2.3 <0.5 Vitamin B2 (mg) Not listed Not listed Not listed 3.20 B12 (mg) Not listed 0.024 (24mcg) Not listed Not listed Calcium (mg) 1.1 0.11 Not listed 125 Iron (mg) 0.025 2.5 5.04 5.04 (mg) Not listed 705 Not listed Not listed Potassium (mg) 11 1.1 Not listed Not listed Salt (gm) Not listed (sodium Not listed (sodium 0.6 Not listed 3.1mg) 0.31mg) been promoting entomophagy as an alternative as a result of a rise in cochineal consumption protein source amongst school children in from the trend of red cupcakes.12 There has also London. Food cooked by Andy Holcroft, been an increase in the number of histamine head chef, includes black and pate, poisoning and/or scombroid poisoning alongside cricket and cauliflower bhaji. Reported outbreaks occurring from consuming insects. comments from the school children included These conditions can result in flushing and “delicious” and “disgusting”.9 urticarial rashes of the skin, headache, nausea, diarrohea and vomiting. In worst cases, Allergic reactions develop respiratory and breathing problems.13 Studies looking at particular allergens causing allergic reactions in humans were found in Lack of clear policy for the UK insects. These allergens are also present in other European legislation via regulation EC 258/97 animals that are part of the food chain including (repealed from January 2018 by regulation EU , e.g. crab, , and . 2015/2283) states that all insect-based products The same allergens have also been detected in (not only parts of insects or extracts, but whole dust and nematodes, e.g. worms.10 These insects and their preparation) belong to one of allergens are not fully understood and for safety the categories of ‘Novel Food’. In the UK, the reasons recommendations have been made that Food Standards Agency (FSA) classifies cricket any food label derived from insects now has flour/powder as a Novel Food and from June to state allergy awareness.11 Dr Isabel Skypala, 2017 requires a Novel assessment Allergy Dietitian reported in June 2017 in The from all suppliers of insects used for human Telegraph that allergies in adults have increased consumption.14

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Microbiological contamination and provided 705mg in 100gm of ‘Eat Grub’ A study pyrosequencing microbial counts of cricket flour, which is high and comparable to Gryllus bimaculatus cricket flour/powder drinking 750ml of semi-skimmed milk. Despite found that it contained high amounts of sodium no longer being permitted on a UK food Enterobacteriaceae which are associated with label, sodium mg was listed on two of the flours soil contamination, human and faeces and again were at different levels. and high amounts of Clostridium perfringens There are a few studies looking at the iron which in large amounts can cause food content of crickets,1,18 Rumpold and Schluter poisoning in humans. There was also presence of found that iron within Acheta domesticus crickets mould spores and opportunistic pathogens, e.g. (dry matter per 100gm) ranged from adult Pseudomonadaceae and Lactococcus garvieae.15 crickets containing 6.27mg to juvenile crickets Another study looking at four different heat being highest at 19.68mg.4 Iron amounts also treatments for Gryllus bimaculatus whole crickets differed in the flours, ranging from 0.025mg found that the microbial quantity depended (25mcg) to 5mg. In fact, due to the wide on the heat treatment and total counts differences of iron content between ‘Cornish were generally high in the samples, concluding Edible Insects’ and ‘Eat Grub’, the companies that there is a need to establish effective species were contacted and advised to double check specific heat/drying procedures to ensure food their mg and gm. safety and also to maintain nutritional quality.16 Moulds such as aflatoxin, which in high amounts Volume of 100gm insects eaten can cause food poisoning,4 have been detected in Eating 100gm of insects will be substantially foods such as peanuts, corn and edible insects. more in volume than eating 100gm of meat if The control of microbes and detection of mould using cricket flour or cricket powder in baking is best achieved by measures designed to prevent muffins or biscuits. According to Fred McVittie the contamination during storage, or detection from ‘Cornish Edible Insects’, due to the high and/or removal of contaminated material from amount of protein in the flour, only 10% of the the food supply chain. recommended flour amount in gm is needed. So, for the double chocolate chip and ‘cricket’ muffin and : levels inconsistent recipe, which requires 375gm of self-raising flour, and not all are listed 37gm of which is substituted by cricket flour to The cricket flour labelling regarding vitamin make 12 muffins. Therefore, in order to consume and content has been inconsistent (see 100gm of cricket flour, 33 muffins would need to Table 1). ‘Eat Grub’ stated on the label that the be eaten! cricket flour per 100gm contained 0.024mg (24mcg) of vitamin B12. This level of vitamin is There are other nutritionally comparable high, containing four times the amount that is foods in 100gm of wild baked salmon.17 However, the In comparison, there are other rich protein other flours failed to list this vitamin. Riboflavin foods that can be consumed which match the B2 was listed as 3.2mg in ‘Nutribug’ which is macronutrient profile of cricket flour. A meat high; however, the other companies did not list alternative, (albeit an unusual combination), B2 levels. consists of 2tbls of red cooked lentils, one Calcium was listed in three of the flours, cooked leg of chicken and one small but was varied from the lowest of 0.11mg to grilled (110gm), providing 446kcals and 62gm 1.1mg to 125mg. Arnold Van Huis stated that, protein. A more plant-based and a more ‘Most species of insects contain little calcium sustainable dietary option is three portions because insects as invertebrates do not have a (340gm) of cooked mycoprotein pieces (e.g. mineralised skeleton’.1 Potassium amounts were Quorn) and six nuts, providing 384kcals quoted in two of the flours; one contained 11mg, and 50gm protein. Unsurprisingly, the vitamin the other 1.1mg, differing greatly. Only one and mineral content of these two suggestions cricket flour quoted the inclusion of phosphorus are, of course, far greater than the cricket flour,

38 www.NHDmag.com February 2018 - Issue 131 Cricket flour/powder is a high protein and the plant-based suggestion also provides more fibre (see Figures 1 high calorie food product, which has evidence of and 2). benefits for our future environment when Multiple uses of insects is limited compared with other farmed animals in Insects do not provide multiple uses like other animals that are farmed, e.g. the current food chain. dairy products, gelatine, wool, suede, leather and fur.

FURTHER RESEARCH IS NEEDED Further research is required on the processes involved in the large scale production of insect farms, e.g. insect’s diet, hygiene practices of processing, storage, handling and transport of the insects alive and/or dead. This will, therefore, lead to the development of a UK policy to protect consumers. choose how to highlight the allergen in All labelling in the UK has to comply with EU either bold, italics or underlined fonts. An labelling policy regulation 1169/2011, which is allergy advice statement at the bottom of the the provision of food information to consumers label may also be used, e.g. ‘Allergy advice: regarding front-of-pack labelling: for allergens see ingredients in bold.’ • Correct nutritional information for macro- It is recommended that insects and insect-based nutrients per 100gm, also using the UK traffic product are heated by the consumer before light labelling system, e.g. RIs comparing total consumption. Boiling/oven baked/ frying the fat, saturated fat, sugar and salt. product will help to reduce the bacterial load, in • Information on vitamins and minerals is not particular for immunocompromised individuals. mandatory, but would be beneficial if a food The vitamin and mineral composition of product is high in certain nutrients. cricket flour/powder needs further clarification • The labelling of sodium is not permitted, it has and uniformity. Also, further studies are required to be salt (sodium chloride) expressed in grams. regarding the bioavailability of minerals in • All ingredients must be listed in descending humans from entomophagy, e.g. iron absorption. order of weight if added to the insects. Ingredients such as vegetable oils, must CONCLUSION also have the type of oil listed as well, Cricket flour/powder is a high protein high e.g. palm oil and sunflower oil. If there is calorie food product, which has evidence of any hydrogenated oil on the label, it must benefits for our future environment when state if it is fully hydrogenated or partially compared with other farmed animals in the hydrogenated. current food chain. However, further research is • Where the allergen is not obvious from the required, in particular on vitamin and mineral name in the ingredient, there should be a composition and food safety, before clear reference to the name of the allergen can ‘chirp’ about the nutritional benefits of next to the ingredient. Food can cricket flour/powder.

Acknowledgement With thanks to the companies who provided me with information on cricket flour/powder and Fred Mcvittie from Cornish Edible Insects who provided me with his time, advice on cooking insects and a free sample of cricket flour/powder.

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