This book explores one of the most discussed and investigated novel foods in recent years: edible insects. The increasing demand for alternative protein sources worldwide had led the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to promote the potential of using insects both for feed and food, establishing a program called “Edible Insects.” Although several social, environmental, and nutritional benefits of the use of insects in the human diet have been identified, the majority of the population in Western countries rejects the idea of adopting insects as food, predominantly for cultural reasons.
Nevertheless, international interest in promoting the consumption of insects has grown significantly, mainly in North America and Europe. This trend is mostly due to increasing attention and involvement from the scientific network and the food and feed industries, as well as governments and their constituents.
The book explores the current state of entomophagy and identifies knowledge gaps to inform primary research institutions, students, members of the private sector, and policymakers to better plan, develop, and implement future research studies on edible insects as a sustainable source of food. The case studies and issues presented in this book cover highly up-to-date topics such as aspects of safety and allergies for human consumption, final meat quality of animals fed with insects, the legislative framework for the commercialization of this novel food, and other relevant issues.
Giovanni Sogari, PhD Giovanni is a researcher in the Department of Food and Drug at the University of Parma, Italy, and a Marie Curie Fellow. Currently he is also a visiting scholar in the Charles H. Dyson School of Applied Economics and Management at Cornell University, and an Academic Scholar at the Cornell Institute for Healthy Futures, in Ithaca, NY, USA. His main research interests are consumer behavior about healthy and sustainable diet, and novel foods market. He is a member of the Italian Scientists and Scholars in North America Foundation, the Institute of Food Technologists, the Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, and the European Association of Agricultural Economists.
Cristina Mora, PhD
Cristina is a Full Professor in the Department of Food and Drug at the University of Parma, Italy. Her work includes a growing body of literature on qualitative methodologies to understand consumer attitudes and behaviors related to emerging food products as well as stakeholder analysis and public engagement in the agrifood sector. She has been involved in several EU research projects. Recent examples include Focus Balkans, Pegasus and Prime Fish projects. Cristina also undertakes teaching activities at the undergraduate and postgraduate level in Italy on consumer behavior and agribusiness. She is a member of the Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economists (AIEAA) and the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE).
Davide Menozzi, PhD
Davide is an Associate Professor in Agricultural Economics and Rural Appraisal at the University of Parma, Italy. His main research interests are the analysis of consumer behavior and preferences, the economics of food quality schemes, and the evaluation of the socio-economic sustainability of dietary behaviors. He teaches graduate and undergraduate courses in the Departmentof Food and Drug and the Department of Economics and Management at the University of Parma. He is an active member in various scientific societies including the Italian Association of Agricultural and Applied Economists (AIEAA) and the European Association of Agricultural Economists (EAAE).
