Entomofagy – A Viable Solution for Supporting Food Security

Violeta Elena Simion (), Rocsana ?oniº Bucea-Manea, Amfim Adriana, Oliva Maria Dourado Martins, Blagica Sekovska and Irina Dijmãrescu
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Violeta Elena Simion: Spiru Haret University
Rocsana ?oniº Bucea-Manea: Spiru Haret University
Amfim Adriana: Spiru Haret University
Oliva Maria Dourado Martins: UDCE of Instituto Politécnico de IPT
Blagica Sekovska: University St. Cyril and Methodius
Irina Dijmãrescu: Clinical Emergency Hospital for Children Grigore Alexandrescu

The AMFITEATRU ECONOMIC journal, 2019, vol. 21, issue 51, 462

Abstract: 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.

Keywords: entomophagy; food security; edible insects; Romanian consumers. (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I1 M3 Q1 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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