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Some experts say that insects are the food of the future. Does that mean that one day you’ll eat crickets for dinner?
You’re holding a piece of toast topped with something that looks like long, skinny beans. Mmm! It smells like butter. You chomp down. The bites are crispy yet soft and creamy on the inside. They kind of taste like nuts.
Congratulations! You have just swallowed a bunch of mealworms.
Before you say anything, consider this: Mealworms and other insects are tasty and nutritious. And eating them is easy on the environment. But can eating bugs ever become popular in America?
Good and Healthy
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People have been dining on insects for thousands of years. Early humans ate bugs to survive. But as people began raising cows, sheep, and other animals, insects became more of a special treat.
Today, eating bugs isn’t common in the U.S. But insects are on the menu in about 140 countries around the world. In Mexico, you can find escamoles—ant eggs fried in butter and spices. In Uganda, you can try termites steamed in banana leaves.
At least 2 billion people worldwide regularly eat insects. And it’s no surprise why. Many bugs are rich in important nutrients like iron, protein, and fiber. And they’re low in fat. They’re flavorful too, tasting like everything from shrimp to apples.
Eating insects is also better for the environment than eating meat from cows, chickens, and pigs. Raising those animals requires a lot of food, water, and land. Farming insects, however, takes fewer resources. Plus, insects grow and reproduce fast. That means bug farmers can provide large amounts of food quickly.
Wriggly Monsters
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If insects are so great, why do most Americans not eat them? One reason is that as kids, most of us learn to stay away from bugs.
Bees can sting. Mosquitoes can annoy us with itchy bites and even spread diseases. Maggots crawl all over rotten food. Our fear and disgust are survival tools—they keep us from eating things that could harm us.
It’s not like the bugs in your backyard are going to end up on your plate though. Only insects caught by experts or raised on farms should be used as food. But for many, that’s not enough to get over the ick factor.
Besides, there aren’t many companies that farm bugs. As a result, food made from insects is expensive. A 5-ounce bag of cricket chips costs about $6. That’s about four times more expensive than the same amount of ground beef.
There’s also a lot we still don’t know about how to farm and prepare bugs safely. Insects can carry germs that could make people sick. They could also be dangerous for people who have food allergies. Many experts say that more research is needed to make sure insects are as safe as other types of food.
Beetle Pasta
Even if you wanted to try insects, good luck finding them! Sure, you can buy cricket flour and chocolate-dipped mealworms online. But most grocery stores in the U.S. don’t carry these foods, because most Americans don’t want to eat them.
That might change in the future. When sushi first arrived in the U.S. in the 1960s, many Americans were grossed out by the idea of eating raw fish. Now, there are more than 4,000 sushi restaurants across the country.
So who knows? Maybe one day, your school cafeteria will serve you and your friends a yummy lunch of beetle pasta.
This article was originally published in the May/June 2022 issue.
1. Preparing to Read
Have students preview the text features. Ask:
2. Reading the Debate
Read the debate as a class or in small groups. A lower-Lexile version is available on Storyworks Digital.
Have students read the debate a second time. Prompt them to mark the types of support the author presents to back up each side, including:
3. Discussing
As a class or in groups, have students discuss:
4. Writing
Have students complete the chart in the magazine.
Distribute the activity “Write an Opinion Essay.” The lower-level version guides students to write a three-paragraph essay on the debate topic. The higher-level version prompts them to bring in additional evidence and write six paragraphs, including a rebuttal of the other side. With either version, hand out our Opinion Writing Toolkit, which offers writing tips and transition words.
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