Eating Bugs And Ants In The Future and 4 safety practices- How Safe Am I?

Eating Bugs And Ants In The Future- How Safe Am I?

Take a pause, ponder and think about visiting a close family member or friend and then being served with freshly fried bugs and ants alongside a plate of rice. Also, think about attending a wedding ceremony and being served palatable salad garnished with spicy made bugs and ants.

Historically, the people within tropical areas have at one time or another eaten bugs, ants and other insects as a source of protein. But with the progression towards civilisation, the choice of bugs and ants as a source of protein declined to a significant extent.

Some have argued that bugs and ants were only eaten by the earliest apes; however, there are counter findings that the ancient Greeks and Romans also ate bugs, ants and other insects. This finding is substantiated by the fact that ‘entomophagy’, which simply implies the act of eating or feeding on insects, including bugs and ants, is a word whose origin is traced to the Greek words “entomon” (insects) and “phagein” (to eat).

Presently, there is still a significant number of people who eat bugs and ants. However, there is a large proportion of people who see the eating of bugs and ants as abominable. For the people who eat bugs and ants, bugs and ants, as well as other insects, are highly nutritious and better for the environment.

Considerably, the idea or practice of eating bugs and ants appears to be gross. Apparently, insects are probably an important aspect of the ecosystem, but when it comes to considering bugs and ants as food or sources of protein, many people would reject such gestures.

For instance, if a group of children or even adults are gathered and asked to mention sources of animal protein, the majority of the respondents would probably mention chicken, fish, egg, beef, pork, mutton, and chevon. It would be rare for the respondents to mention bugs and ants as edible sources of animal protein.

However, this does not vitiate the fact that the culture of eating bugs and ants is one that is acknowledged and practised in some places. Basically, the responses to be received regarding the people’s perceptions about sources of animal protein would to a significant extent depend on the culture of the people, territory and popular opinion.

Thus, it is suggested or opinionated that eating bugs and ants could be a crucial part of the future of food for human beings. Implicitly, eating ants and bugs could become the new normal in the future. However, the question begging for an answer is whether or not such an eating habit is safe for humans.

One of the arguments that have been made by proponents of bugs and ants’ consumption is the fact that eating bugs and ants is a responsive measure towards food security.

With the increasing rate of global population, increasing levels of consumers’ demands, as well as limited space of land available for agricultural activities, there appears to be an urgent need to find alternatives to the conventional sources of animal protein. One of the leading causes of anthropogenic climate change is livestock production. Possibly, in order to remedy such a situation, a more sustainable diet is required.

Such sustainable diets would be in the form of reduced consumption of meat or the consumption of alternative sources of protein. It is in the foregoing view that bugs, ants and other insects are being considered by some people in some locations as not merely animal feed but also as food for human beings across the globe.

Ants are argued to be a source of animal protein that may aid in maximising the nutritional quality and overall protein demands.

Owing to the high content of protein in insects, there is a high intensity of interest in the consumption or utilisation of insects as an alternative for other sources of protein, such as milk, fish, and eggs. In territories and countries where entomophagy is seen as a common practice, ants, bugs, and other insects are considered valuable and are seen as rich sources of protein.

Notwithstanding the argument in favour of human consumption of ants and bugs, there are limited research studies focusing on human consumption of bugs and ants. It is in the above view that it is argued that the consumption of bugs and ants should be restricted to merely animal feed for the time being.

Is it safe for humans to eat bugs and ants? As already said above, there is a dearth of human studies on the consumption of ants and bugs; it follows that there is little scientifically based evidence and empirical research pertaining to the actual or potential risks associated with the safe consumption of ants and bugs.

With the existing controversies trailing the consumption of bugs and ants, it is argued that, irrespective of whatever anyone decides to eat, there are basic food safety practices that must be considered with respect to eating bugs and ants. Some of these safety practices are not limited to:

• Ensuring that anything (hands, plates, domestic surfaces and utensils) that comes into contact with the raw ants and bugs is washed and dried cleanly.
• Ensuring that a separate board is used for cutting the meats (ants and bugs), so as to avoid the risk of cross-contamination.
• Make use of a kitchen thermometer to ensure that the bugs and ants are thoroughly cooked, as raw consumption could impose higher health risks.
• Any leftovers after cooking and consumption should be refrigerated within two hours.

Note that the above safety practices are not to be regarded as a concession that it is generally safe for humans to consume bugs and ants. This is because there are inherent actual and potential risks that are highly probable in eating bugs and ants. For instance, in terms of allergens, it is highly possible to develop complicated allergic reactions from ants and bugs.

Basically, people who often suffer from allergies as a result of seafood should, by all means, avoid bugs and ants irrespective of how appealing they deceitfully appear to be. Biologically, there are distinct categories or types of bacteria commonly capable of making a person sick; these types of bacteria, not limited to E. coli and Campylobacter, are also found in some insects.

Additionally, there are viruses, fungi and parasites, which are probable kinds of biological contaminations carried by bugs and ants. For places where the consumption of bugs and ants is common, the bugs and ants are eaten whole, which makes them increasingly vulnerable to chemical contamination.  So far as the consumption of ants and bugs is concerned, some of the possible chemical contaminations are mainly pesticides, dioxins and toxic metals.

Owing to the hard parts of the bugs and ants, it is possible for them to cause physical harm or hazard in the form of chokes. Some of the hard parts that could result in choking hazards are the stingers, wings, rostrum, and spines.

Considering the negative implications of eating bugs and ants as highlighted in the preceding paragraphs, do you think eating bugs and ants is safe? It is being said that behind every rumour, there is a sort of truth. Going down memory lane, there have been a series of diseases associated with eating meat from sources other than the conventional sources of animal protein.

Some of these diseases associated with bugs and ants are not limited to cryptosporidiosis, mycobacteriosis, dengue fever, chikungunya virus, yellow fever, Lyme disease, filariasis, E. coli, staph, shigella, salmonella, clostridium, etc. In the field of medical practice and food sciences, it has been found that ants are capable of transmitting organisms like Salmonella, Staphylococcus, Clostridium and Streptococcus to individuals.

If ants and bugs are known as being capable of transmitting such deadly diseases as mentioned above, why is there an increasing agenda on eating bugs and ants?

Though some people have argued that bugs and ants are better sources of animal protein than the conventional sources like poultry and beef and that eating bugs and ants is far safer for the environment; none of the proponents have disputed the fact that eating bugs and ants are not only dangerous to human health but also means of killer diseases. Would such be interpreted as considering their opinions in support of eating bugs and ants as mere manipulations?

Recall that it was stated earlier that there is a dearth of studies on the human consumption of bugs and ants and their safety. If, amidst the limitations of studies on the safety of consumption of bugs and ants, there are still findings tracing some terrible diseases to ants and bugs, as well as other insects, does it not suggest that there is a hidden agenda on the side of the proponents of the consumption of bugs and ants.

Perhaps, the hidden agenda could be the goal to subtly implement the agenda of depopulating the world through food, in the likes of ants and bugs. While the consumption and non-consumption of bugs and ants are still debatable at the moment, it is possible for the ‘devil’ through his agents to succeed in future in making the culture of eating bugs and ants the new normal.

With the limited studies and research on the consumption of bugs and ants, specific diseases have been identified as capable of being contracted via eating them. It is highly probable that there are other existing or potential diseases (pandemic and endemic) that may occur as a result of human consumption of bugs and ants.

It is said that if a practice stays too long, such practice would likely become a norm. Thus, there is a possibility that making the consumption of ants and bugs a normal practice could result in more severe circumstances where humans might be pushed towards eating human flesh.

While one may argue that human beings have fed on human flesh in the past, it could also be said that eating bugs and ants was part of the possible food options eaten by early humans. Note that such consumption was in ancient times, where there was limited knowledge as to what to eat and what not to eat.

Man’s idea about what is safe for consumption was significantly limited to the present time. Perhaps, the idea or practice of consuming ants, bugs, other insects and human flesh in ancient times could be associated with the limitation of knowledge, ignorance, and possibly a lack of options for safer and better sources of protein.

Extremely, welcoming the idea and practice of eating bugs and ants could possibly escalate a return to eating human flesh, and if the latter becomes the case, how safe are you that you would not be eaten by some fellows that would love to have a taste of your flesh.

The question remains that now that there are conventional and acceptable sources of animal protein that have over time proven to be safer and better, what is the propaganda towards the idea and practice of eating bugs and ants?

Some of the arguments being put forward in response is that the agenda on eating bugs and ants is to make advance plan and strategy towards food security, save some of the animals relied on as conventional sources of protein from going into extinction and importantly save humanity from experiencing food scarcity and even when food scarcity hits on man, to minimize the effects since other animals like bugs and ants could be relied on as sources of animal protein.

The attempts to save humanity from food scarcity should be well-planned and implemented, and not one that would endanger the lives of human beings by exposing them to carriers of severe diseases (ants and bugs) as food.

It is even better to encourage people to abstain from eating animal proteins (to become vegans) as a way of preparing humans on surviving without animal proteins than subtly killing human beings via a devilish introduction of human beings to eating ants and bugs as meat.

Perhaps, more advanced research could be carried out in the field of food technology to ascertain how innovations and advances in technology could be exploited to safeguard humanity against the severe effects of food scarcity while helping to uphold the global food security agenda. Ants and bugs are not safe at the present time for human consumption; they will likely not be safe in the future for consumption.

Thank you for taking the time to read this far. If you have any questions or concerns, please drop them in the comment section. We’ll be glad to have them.