Entomophagy (/ˌɛntəˈmɒfədʒi/, from Greek
ἔντομονéntomon, 'insect', and
φαγεῖνphagein, 'to eat') is the practice of eating
insects. An alternative term is
insectivory.[1][2] Terms for organisms that practice entomophagy are entomophage and insectivore.
Entomophagy is sometimes defined to also include the eating of
arthropods other than insects, such as
arachnids and
myriapods; eating arachnids may also be referred to as
arachnophagy.
Entomophagy is scientifically described as widespread among non-human primates and common among many human communities.[3] The scientific term describing the practice of eating insects by humans is anthropo-entomophagy.[7] The eggs, larvae,
pupae, and adults of certain
insects have been eaten by humans from prehistoric times to the present day.[8] Around 3,000
ethnic groups practice entomophagy.[9] Human insect-eating (anthropo-entomophagy) is common to cultures in most parts of the world, including
Central and
South America,
Africa,
Asia,
Australia, and
New Zealand. Eighty percent of the world's nations eat insects of 1,000 to 2,000 species.[10][11]FAO has registered some 1,900
edible insect species and estimates that there were, in 2005, some two billion insect consumers worldwide. FAO suggests eating insects as a possible solution to
environmental degradation caused by
livestock production.[12]
In some societies, primarily
western nations, entomophagy is uncommon or
taboo.[13][14][15][16][17][18] Today, insect eating is uncommon in North America and Europe, but insects remain a popular food elsewhere, and some companies are trying to introduce
insects as food into
Western diets.[19] A recent analysis of Google Trends data showed that people in Japan have become increasingly interested in entomophagy since 2013.[20]
^Saggers, S. & Gray, D. (1991). Aboriginal Health & Society: The Traditional and Contemporary Aboriginal Struggle for Better Health. Sydney: Allen & Unwin.
ISBN978-1-86373-057-0.[page needed]