Towards a More Ethical and Sustainable Edible Future: One Burger at a Time

McClements, David Julian

doi:10.1007/978-3-030-12995-8_11

Cited by 7 publications

(2 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…Beyond this study, insect-based falafels are available in some western supermarkets and restaurants (Berger et al , 2018; McClements, 2019). However, the choice of falafel as food sample may be questionable.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Edible insects, what about the perceptions of Belgian youngsters?

Detilleux

Wittock²,

Dogot

et al. 2021

BFJ

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PurposeEdible insects are considered as a novel food in western countries, with their introduction to cuisine having to overcome major barriers, such as disgust. The studies related to acceptance of entomophagy have exponentially grown since 2015. However, such studies generally focus on people older than 18 years old. The purpose of this study is to assess the perceptions of youngsters towards edible insects.Design/methodology/approachA survey associated with an optional tasting session was conducted to record opinion of 151 youngsters in Belgium (9–17-year-olds).FindingsMany respondents are acquainted with entomophagy and had already eaten insect-based food. Most youngsters associated insects as snacks and salty foods, and they agreed to consume processed insects (falafel) during the tasting session. Tasters had to evaluate the falafel, and higher ratings were recorded in male respondents, as highlighted in studies including adults. More negative evaluations would be expected among older respondents if unprocessed insects were served, as they were more willing to consume processed insects than entire insects. Finally, attitudes towards entomophagy evolved positively after the tasting session. Such events are consequently recommended to promote entomophagy across western youngsters.Originality/valueFew studies explored the attitude of western youngsters towards entomophagy. This paper aims to fill this gap by focusing on this young component of the Belgian population.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Edible insects, what about the perceptions of Belgian youngsters?

Detilleux

Wittock²,

Dogot

et al. 2021

BFJ

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The consumption of animal products is rapidly growing in many developing countries because of increasing populations, urbanisation, and wealth. However, the livestock industry is considered an inefficient way of producing calories and nutrients (Alexander et al, 2017) and is associated with environmental, welfare, and health problems (McClements, 2019). So, what about alternative more sustainable protein sources, such as insects?…”

Section: Ethicsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Welfare of farmed insects

Huis

2021

JIFF

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The recent interest in using insects as food and feed is based on their capacity to be a sustainable alternative to other protein sources. When farmed as mini livestock, the question is raised as to whether they are ‘sentient beings’ (self-conscious)? In researching this topic, the problem is that humans often expect animals to have the same subjective experience as we do (anthropomorphic) and consider themselves as the centre of the universe (anthropocentric). We discuss insects’ sentience by looking at their brain, behaviour, and communicative abilities. The miniature brains of insects seem to be arranged in a very efficient functional way due to their very long evolutionary history. As for their behaviour, insects are capable of social and associative learning. Even dopamine, a neurotransmitter involved in reward and pleasure, plays a role. Human communication is mainly verbal, while for insects other means of information exchange are more important, such as tactile, chemical, visual, and vibrational. The distinction needs to be made between nociception and pain, the latter being an emotional experience. It is difficult to prove that insects can experience pain, although they have a large repertoire of withdrawal and defensive behavioural responses. The philosophical attitudes deal with how we view insects and their relations to humans. This also determines the ethical attitude and how we should treat them. Are they just there for our benefit or do we consider them as co-animals? Insects as food requires that many insects must be killed. However, the number killed may not be different when one chooses a plant-based diet. It is concluded that insects should be farmed and killed using the precautionary principle, which assumes that they can experience pain. To discuss the consequences for the industry sector that produces insects for food and feed, we used Brambell’s five freedoms as a framework.

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Challenges and innovations in food and water availability for a sustainable Mars colonization

Maity,

Saxena

2024

Life Sciences in Space Research

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Towards a More Ethical and Sustainable Edible Future: One Burger at a Time

Cited by 7 publications

References 47 publications

Edible insects, what about the perceptions of Belgian youngsters?

Edible insects, what about the perceptions of Belgian youngsters?

Welfare of farmed insects

Challenges and innovations in food and water availability for a sustainable Mars colonization

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