Event Website
https://publichealth.lsuhsc.edu/honorsday/2021/
Start Date
1-4-2024 9:00 AM
Description
Rationale: With an increased awareness of an emerging global food crisis, scientists are on a quest to discover creative and sustainable solutions. Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, is being discussed as a viable option to feed ever-growing human and animal populations. What’s all the buzz? Edible insects offer the potential to help ensure food security to human and animal populations by acting as a rich and efficiently-obtained source of nutrients. The vast majority of studies on human entomophagy and using insects in animal feed have focused on the opinions of the consumer, the nutritional and health benefits of insect consumption, and the economic and environmental impacts of insect production. Veterinarians play essential roles in ensuring the safety and security of food sources and the well-being of livestock. To date, there have been no studies exploring the opinions of the veterinary profession on entomophagy or their investment into the field of entomologic medicine. The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional survey based on the Health Belief Model to gauge the opinions of the veterinary profession on entomophagy and the farming of insects as novel food animals. Methods: A preliminary survey was constructed based on findings from a literature review, and pilot interviews were conducted for questionnaire refinement. The final survey was emailed to the LSU veterinary community. Kruskal Wallis ANOVAs determined differences between gender, age, years in practice, and diet by the survey questions. When a difference was found, Mann Whitney U tests were used to further characterize the difference. Results and Conclusions: Based on the current LSU veterinary faculty and students, it appears that entomophagy and insect production would be well-received by the veterinary profession. The overwhelming majority (90%) of respondents believe there is a current issue with global food security today, and 92% believe there will be an issue in the future. Most respondents (85.5%) agreed that insects could be a valuable food source, and appreciated a need for alternative options going forward. This is the first attempt to assess the opinions of the veterinary field on entomophagy, and the results suggest that the profession should invest energy into further investigation.
Recommended Citation
Como, K.; Boykin, K.; and Mitchell, M., "Jiminy Cricket! Exploring the Opinions of the Veterinary Profession Regarding Entomophagy and the Management of Insect Livestock" (2024). School of Public Health Delta Omega Honors Day Poster Sessions. 3.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/dohd/2021/2021/3
Jiminy Cricket! Exploring the Opinions of the Veterinary Profession Regarding Entomophagy and the Management of Insect Livestock
Rationale: With an increased awareness of an emerging global food crisis, scientists are on a quest to discover creative and sustainable solutions. Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, is being discussed as a viable option to feed ever-growing human and animal populations. What’s all the buzz? Edible insects offer the potential to help ensure food security to human and animal populations by acting as a rich and efficiently-obtained source of nutrients. The vast majority of studies on human entomophagy and using insects in animal feed have focused on the opinions of the consumer, the nutritional and health benefits of insect consumption, and the economic and environmental impacts of insect production. Veterinarians play essential roles in ensuring the safety and security of food sources and the well-being of livestock. To date, there have been no studies exploring the opinions of the veterinary profession on entomophagy or their investment into the field of entomologic medicine. The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional survey based on the Health Belief Model to gauge the opinions of the veterinary profession on entomophagy and the farming of insects as novel food animals. Methods: A preliminary survey was constructed based on findings from a literature review, and pilot interviews were conducted for questionnaire refinement. The final survey was emailed to the LSU veterinary community. Kruskal Wallis ANOVAs determined differences between gender, age, years in practice, and diet by the survey questions. When a difference was found, Mann Whitney U tests were used to further characterize the difference. Results and Conclusions: Based on the current LSU veterinary faculty and students, it appears that entomophagy and insect production would be well-received by the veterinary profession. The overwhelming majority (90%) of respondents believe there is a current issue with global food security today, and 92% believe there will be an issue in the future. Most respondents (85.5%) agreed that insects could be a valuable food source, and appreciated a need for alternative options going forward. This is the first attempt to assess the opinions of the veterinary field on entomophagy, and the results suggest that the profession should invest energy into further investigation.
https://digitalscholar.lsuhsc.edu/dohd/2021/2021/3