Entomofagy – A Viable Solution for Supporting Food Security
Entomophagy or the practice of eating insects has been known and practiced for millennia by people around the world, and being taken into account in countries where insect consumption is considered to be exotic behavior or the evolution of society begins to impose it. Food security is a prerequis...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Editura ASE
2019-05-01
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| Series: | Amfiteatru Economic |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.amfiteatrueconomic.ro/temp/Article_2826.pdf |
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| Summary: | Entomophagy or the practice of eating insects has been known and practiced for millennia by
people around the world, and being taken into account in countries where insect consumption is
considered to be exotic behavior or the evolution of society begins to impose it.
Food security is a prerequisite for the welfare of the population and can be achieved by
appropriately capitalizing on the natural resources available to Romania’s agriculture. Its
approach and development must be in two directions, strongly interrelated with each other,
namely a quantitative one and a qualitative one. The quantitative aspect regards as a matter
of priority the provision of the necessary amount of food to meet the physiological needs of
a reference population, while the quality aspect focuses on the nutritional value of foods
consumed by the population so that its health is not affected or compromised. Considering
the two above-mentioned aspects, we consider that the practice of consuming edible insects
presents several advantages, both quantitative and qualitative, which should not be neglected
in ensuring food security. Innovation must be implemented throughout the agri-food chain,
and entomophagy can be one of the viable solutions to support food security.
In order to emphasize the importance of entomophagy in ensuring food security, the paper brings
to the fore a series os aspects regarding the review of the scientific literature in the field, the
nutritional value of insects, the impact of insect food production on the environment, and
consumer attitudes towards entomophagy. At the end of the paper, a small attempt is made to
assess to what extent Romanian consumers are prepared to accept edible insects in their food |
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| ISSN: | 1582-9146 2247-9104 |