Any child growing up in the 90s — or their parents, for that matter — will likely recall the scene from The Lion King where Timon and Pumbaa introduce a young Simba to their staple diet. “This looks like a good place to rustle up some grub,” says the meerkat as he lifts up a log to expose a plethora of creepy crawlies underneath. “These are rare delicacies,” he tells the lion cub. Their warthog friend slurps up a maggot before declaring, “Slimy, yet satisfying.”
The look of disgust on Simba’s face mimics those of many people when the idea of eating insects is mentioned. Yet, consuming bugs is something which has been done in Africa for centuries.
“Africa has more than 552 species of insects which are edible. They have been consumed in more than 45 countries across the continent by close to 300 million people, so it’s a culture that we have,” confirms Dr Chrysantus Tanga who heads the Insects for Food, Feed and Other Uses (INSEFF) Programme at the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE).
That last number is an important one. According to the United Nations, the population of Africa is anticipated to grow to around 2.53 billion people by the year 2050, leading to a significant increase in the demand for food. It is here that ICIPE’s program comes in.
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