Millions of people from around the world have relied on insects as an essential source of nourishment for thousands of years. Insects are high in protein, easy to cultivate, have a low carbon footprint, and could be instrumental in alleviating world hunger and climate change. The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations has endorsed edible insects and encouraged their adoption in the diets of people all around the world. One of the main benefits of cultivating edible insects is that they require fewer resources than traditional protein sources for the same quantity of protein. While producing one gram of protein from beef requires 254 square meters of farmland,
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Growing global markets
The
global market value of edible insects is expected to grow from an estimated 3.2 billion U.S. dollars in 2022 to over 17.6 billion U.S. dollars by 2032. In that time period, the market in
East Asia is expected to grow by about 25 percent, more than any other world region. Between 2021 and 2022, the
edible insect market in the United States grew over 40 percent, increasing from 264 million dollars to about 371 million dollars.
Interest in insects
The
most consumed types of insects worldwide are beetles and caterpillars. Consumers all over the world are growing more interested in edible insects. In fact, many French consumers are
more likely to try eating insects over laboratory cultured meat. That being said, only about 19 percent of French consumers would actually be
willing to eat insects whole. Although East Asia has a rapidly expanding edible insect market, less than seven percent of consumers across all age groups in
Japan have tried insects as food, according to a 2021 survey. There is still a lot of room for growth in the global edible insect market, but it is likely that the growing need for environmentally friendly products and more sources of protein will cause the edible insect market to boom in the future.
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