Mixed reactions flew around when the UK's first insect-only restaurant, Grub Kitchen, was launched. A number of feedback were of incredulity and disbelief, after all, stories of bug-eating experiences have been more widely associated with the two leading insect snacking advocates: China and Thailand. Grub Kitchen however, is not unique and insect consumption is hardly new. The term entomophagy, or insect eating, comes from the Greek term éntomos, or éntomon, which means insect and phăgein, which means to eat. Africa, Australia, Netherlands and Colombia are among the many countries that have been involved in entomophagy as part of their subsistence.
The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) of the United Nations has been working since 2003 to promote the benefits of insect consumption. So Grub Kitchen's proposed stand toward sustainability is quite smart.
"Grub Kitchen was inspired by the need to change our views on where our protein comes from," says head chef Andy Holcroft.
"And the need to encourage the public to look at alternative protein sources, particularly insects. We are not saying not to eat meat, but eat meat less. We do not need meat with every meal, every day. This is putting a huge strain on our already oversubscribed agricultural industry."
The need for alternative food sources is an ongoing and growing concern and the UN has been actively advocating the use of insects for this purpose. According to the UN 2013 report: "Insects are everywhere, and they reproduce quickly. They have high growth and feed conversion rates and a low environmental footprint."
