Would you consider eating ice cream made from bees? Tortilla chips made of crickets? How about fly larvae sold in supermarkets? These things are much closer to being an everyday reality than you might think...

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Would you consider eating ice cream made from bees? Tortilla chips made of crickets? How about fly larvae sold in supermarkets? These things are much closer to being an everyday reality than you might think...

Whether we like it or not, our future depends on sustainability. Earth’s population is expected to peak at 9.7 billion in 2064. A global food crisis is looming, so something has to give.

Whether we like it or not, our future depends on sustainability. Earth’s population is expected to peak at 9.7 billion in 2064. A global food crisis is looming, so something has to give.

The search is on for mass-market solutions that can turn plentiful ingredients we don't normally associate with eating – from algae to microbes – into enjoyable food that can help sustain us.

The search is on for mass-market solutions that can turn plentiful ingredients we don't normally associate with eating – from algae to microbes – into enjoyable food that can help sustain us.

Lab-grown meat and 3D food printing have been championed as promising long-term enterprises, while nutritious solutions are already materializing in the form of plant-based protein that’s almost indistinguishable from meat (and much healthier too).

Lab-grown meat and 3D food printing have been championed as promising long-term enterprises, while nutritious solutions are already materializing in the form of plant-based protein that’s almost indistinguishable from meat (and much healthier too).

Yet the one area that could provide the greatest environmental and economic impact lies in the most sustainable protein source on earth: insects. Yes, you read that right. But before you roll your eyes and click away, consider this...

Yet the one area that could provide the greatest environmental and economic impact lies in the most sustainable protein source on earth: insects. Yes, you read that right. But before you roll your eyes and click away, consider this...

There are 1,900 edible insect species and they outnumber humans by 1.4 billion per person. They’re perfectly safe to eat when reared in hygienic conditions, and only 0.1% of all insects are harmful.

There are 1,900 edible insect species and they outnumber humans by 1.4 billion per person. They’re perfectly safe to eat when reared in hygienic conditions, and only 0.1% of all insects are harmful.

Bugs also require relatively little space to farm and their ecological footprint is minimal. It takes 25kg of feed and 40,000 liters of fresh water to produce just 1kg of beef! Now compare that to the 2.1kg of feed needed to produce 1kg of edible crickets.

Bugs also require relatively little space to farm and their ecological footprint is minimal. It takes 25kg of feed and 40,000 liters of fresh water to produce just 1kg of beef! Now compare that to the 2.1kg of feed needed to produce 1kg of edible crickets

Here’s the thing: humans have always eaten bugs. In fact, over two billion people still do. Crickets are popular in Thailand and Cambodia, while centipedes and scorpions are widely eaten in China. It’s only Western society that has resisted the practice. Why?

Here’s the thing: humans have always eaten bugs. In fact, over two billion people still do. Crickets are popular in Thailand and Cambodia, while centipedes and scorpions are widely eaten in China. It’s only Western society that has resisted the practice. 

The biggest issue is perception. Insects have a serious image problem. This stems from learned associations dating back to when we lived in less sterilized environments. The kind of threat insects posed to us then no longer exists. The only real barrier is a psychological one.

The biggest issue is perception. Insects have a serious image problem. This stems from learned associations dating back to when we lived in less sterilized environments. The kind of threat insects posed to us then no longer exists. The only real barrier i

To give us any chance of utilizing this abundant food source for the sake of our collective future, minds need to be changed. But a solution might be close at hand...

To give us any chance of utilizing this abundant food source for the sake of our collective future, minds need to be changed. But a solution might be close at hand...

A problem of perception

I learned an important lesson from the food scientist Charles Michel: Eating is never just about the physical properties of food. Expectation plays a much bigger role than we realize.

I learned an important lesson from the food scientist Charles Michel: Eating is never just about the physical properties of food. Expectation plays a much bigger role than we realize.

Taste is considered the weakest of the senses. It’s sight and smell that do all the heavy lifting. Your sense of taste can’t distinguish between apples and onions by itself, for example. That leaves it open to manipulation by other stimuli like ambience and the layout of a plate.

Taste is considered the weakest of the senses. It’s sight and smell that do all the heavy lifting. Your sense of taste can’t distinguish between apples and onions by itself, for example. That leaves it open to manipulation by other stimuli like ambience a

This information is a source of inspiration for culinary innovators. Figures like Charles Michel are coming up with experimental strategies to ‘hack’ our taste perception – and in ways that could offer a clear route to global food security.

This information is a source of inspiration for culinary innovators. Figures like Charles Michel are coming up with experimental strategies to ‘hack’ our taste perception – and in ways that could offer a clear route to global food security.

Most people love food made from insects in blind taste tests. The problem is when they know in advance. But we can’t trick everyone into changing their eating habits, nor can we rely on an obligation to the environment to win out. It has to be about the perception of pleasure.

Most people love food made from insects in blind taste tests. The problem is when they know in advance. But we can’t trick everyone into changing their eating habits, nor can we rely on an obligation to the environment to win out. It has to be about the p

“High-end gastronomy is like the Formula One of food,” Michel told me. "They engineer efficient driving technology that, years later, you can find in your car. The same goes for cooking.” What works in food labs and fancy restaurants eventually reaches your local supermarket.

“High-end gastronomy is like the Formula One of food,” Michel told me. "They engineer efficient driving technology that, years later, you can find in your car. The same goes for cooking.” What works in food labs and fancy restaurants eventually reaches yo

If you find that hard to believe, consider how our eating habits have evolved. Just decades ago, sushi was considered unappealing to Western tastes, olive oil was something you bought in a pharmacy, and kiwi fruit were unknown outside China.

If you find that hard to believe, consider how our eating habits have evolved. Just decades ago, sushi was considered unappealing to Western tastes, olive oil was something you bought in a pharmacy, and kiwi fruit were unknown outside China. 

Availability and cultural awareness have huge impacts on what we eat. When chocolate was introduced to Europe, it was enjoyed by a chosen few (the upper class) at first. This had a trickle-down effect: everyone else wanted to try it so they too could feel like an elite insider.

Availability and cultural awareness have huge impacts on what we eat. When chocolate was introduced to Europe, it was enjoyed by a chosen few (the upper class) at first. This had a trickle-down effect: everyone else wanted to try it so they too could feel

Today’s interconnected world has changed that dynamic. People are now making their own discoveries and broadcasting them online. As soon as modern-day influencers can elevate insect-eating to a niche interest, the food industry will be primed to grab hold of it.

Today’s interconnected world has changed that dynamic. People are now making their own discoveries and broadcasting them online. As soon as modern-day influencers can elevate insect-eating to a niche interest, the food industry will be primed to grab hold

And if that still sounds unlikely, consider one last factor: in 2020, the EU finally approved of mealworms, locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers as being safe for human consumption. The mass production of insect dishes has now arrived in the West.

And if that still sounds unlikely, consider one last factor: in 2020, the EU finally approved of mealworms, locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers as being safe for human consumption. The mass production of insect dishes has now arrived in the West.

Bottom line: We don’t utilize the most sustainable food source available due to outdated associations. But between new legislation and culinary innovation, that's changing. After all, crustaceans like lobster or shrimp are "insects of the sea" and we have no problem eating them.

Bottom line: We don’t utilize the most sustainable food source available due to outdated associations. But between new legislation and culinary innovation, that's changing. After all, crustaceans like lobster or shrimp are "insects of the sea" and we have

Redefining our idea of delicious

The Future of Delicious

Eating insects will mess with your mind… and save the world

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I share insights about science, technology, the environment and (occasionally) politics – focusing on the ways these forces are shaping the world of tomorrow.