podcast

Podcast Review 3 – How Cum Season 3 Episode 1

Posted on by Naomi Nguyen

The third of three podcasts that highlight my autoethnographic experience with the How Cum podcast.

Key take-aways:

  • Longer podcast was harder to remain engaged with
  • Lack of structure also contributed to lack of attention
  • Podcast focused more on mental health
  • With this topic more comfortable with the use of casual/conversational language
  • Social media engagement more prevalent on Twitter and Instagram (similar to previous one)
  • Evidence of a wider, global reach
  • Link of podcast to Netflix “Explained” series

Background sound attribution: https://www.bensound.com

Podcast Review 2 – How Cum Season 2 Episode 1

Posted on by Naomi Nguyen

The second of three podcasts that highlight my autoethnographic experience with the How Cum podcast.

Key take-aways:

  • More comfortable with the use of professional/physiological language
  • Presentation of much broader topics i.e. LGBTQI issues, open communication
  • Guest speaker offered an informative, objective male perspective on female issues
  • Social media engagement more prevalent on Twitter and Instagram
  • Evidence of a wider, global reach

Background sound attribution: https://www.bensound.com

Podcast Review 1 – How Cum Season 1 Episode 1

Posted on by Naomi Nguyen

The first of three podcasts that highlight my autoethnographic experience with the How Cum podcast.

Key take-aways:

  • Discomfort with terminology used
  • Recognition of personal interest and value of information presented
  • Societal and social influences on how information is received
  • Minimal social media engagement with this episode (first ever episode)

More information on the media niche can be found here.

More information on the research methods and background can be found here.

Background sound attribution: https://www.bensound.com

A future food crisis: So what do we really think?

Posted on by Naomi Nguyen


Link to full survey results.

Transcript:

Hi everyone, this is my third and final podcast in my 3-part podcast series on insects as a form of food in the future. I will be analysing my survey responses, giving future recommendations, and concluding the overall project.

My survey was distributed across various platforms, inclusive of WordPress, Twitter, Facebook, Reddit, and via a shareable link. The main aim of the survey was to gather public opinions on the consumption of insects as a form of food. The survey was therefore open to be completed by any member of the general public. The results I will be discussing are as of 5th June 2019. The published results will also be available through a link.

The survey contained 9 questions, of which 2 were demographic. These were to uncover whether age or gender may affect other answers. I won’t go through all the questions and responses, but rather those that I believe are of significance.

Overall the survey had 31 respondents of which 17 were female and 14 were male. 68% of respondents answered that they would try or definitely would eat an insect, 13% were unsure or had not considered it. 71% said they may try insects ground into salt or flour, 35% would consume them whole. 35% said that incorporating insects into normal diets globally is definitely a future possibility, 52% said it may be a future possibility. Now to look more in depth at response trends.

55% of respondents had never consumed insects before, however of these 47% said they would at least try eating an insect. Also, despite this 55% having never consumed insects, if there was a protein shortage and no other options 76% of them would consume insects for their protein content.

There were significant differences between the two genders. 76% of women had never consumed an insect whereas 71% of men had. Only 7% of men said a straight ‘no’ to ever trying to eat an insect, however 29% of women said a straight ‘no’. Out of 100, women’s likelihood of eating an insect averaged at 41, men averaged at 82, or exactly twice as likely. In regard to how insects would be eaten, 71% of women said they would consume if ground up in salt or flour, only 18% said whole. 57% of men said they would consume the insect whole but only 50% said they would consume the insect ground up into flour or salt. In terms of future consumption being normalised, most respondents thought this would be possible. Only one male thought it could only be a long-term possibility, and three females thought the same. Out of all respondents, only one female said this would not be a future possibility at all.

From these responses, I am able to draw a few conclusions. Firstly, men are more open to consuming insects. Secondly, a significant amount of people who haven’t consumed an insect before are open to trying them. Third, that if insects became a large contributor to human protein sources, people would begin to consume them. And finally, that even though many people may be personally unlikely to consume insects as a form of food, they do believe that this may become widely normalised eventually. Only one respondent believes that the global acceptance of insects as part of a normal human diet is not likely. Some respondents think this may occur in the long-term future, but they do not believe it is not possible.

Through my research, both secondary and primary, I am able to make various future recommendations. Firstly, that action must be taken in the short-term future of 1-2 years, to introduce insects as a form of food for all humans. This is particularly relevant to “Western” societies in which insects are not commonplace, yet. Overcoming the “yuck” factor and the mental opposition to eating insects would be essential. This may mean education on their nutritional and societal benefits, how they can be incorporated into a diet and the preparation of such.

Another recommendation is further research into safe and sanitary production and distribution of insects as a form of food. If they are to become a staple part of the whole of society’s diets, it is important that possible toxicity and dangers involved with their production, preparation and consumption is known.

Also, research must be done that investigates mass production and rearing of insects. This is important in preparation for the medium to long term future when mass production of insects is both possible and likely. This is vital to ensure that if acceptance of this form of food spreads, there is sufficient product to fulfil the demand.

That brings me to the end of this podcast and podcast series. This digital artefact has investigated insects as a form of food for the future, providing extensive research on a future global food crisis and eating insects as a solution. It has incorporated the general public’s opinions on the topic too. I hope that these podcasts have been informative and educational, but also interesting and insightful. Maybe they have changed your opinion on eating insects, or simply given you a few facts to walk away with. Thank you for listening.

A future food crisis: A very crunchy solution

Posted on by Naomi Nguyen

Transcript

Hi, today I will be continuing my podcast series which was originally a 2-part series and will now become a three-part series… oops. So, here’s part two, an evaluation of the benefits of insects as a form of food for humans.

Entomophagy is the term for eating insects. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration states natural or unavoidable defects in food include insects. We are consuming these accidently in our diets already. Chocolate bars have around 30 insect parts per average bar, peanut butter has 10 parts per serve, peaches are up to 3% worm, and tomatoes can have up to two maggots per 18 ounce can! Honey is also a commonly consumed product, it’s strange when we realise it is regurgitated by bees in its production!

Traditionally Aboriginal Australians consumed various types of insects as part of their diet. These included honey ants, moths and witchety grubs. Nowadays, it is estimated that insects form part of the traditional diets of around 2 billion people, many of which reside in developing nations. Countries in South-East Asia where 40% of the population is chronically malnourished, have accepted eating entomophagy as part of their culture.

This encompasses more than 1900 different species of insect. Grasshoppers are used by various African groups served whole, and their legs ground into peanut butter and salt. Locusts are used in South Korea where rice farmers are gathering them to sell to supplement their income from rice production. Termites are popular in Africa and Australia, especially due to their high protein and high fat content and their caloric value. Also, the average household in the Congolese capital of Kinshasa, eats about 300 g of caterpillars a week. Lao PDR and India have recognised 21 and 24 edible insect species. In fact, in Southern and Central Africa, mopane caterpillars are so popular that when they were in season the sale of beef was affected.

Regardless of this, however, what benefits does entomophagy really pose to greater society? Why could insects be the answer to our problem?

Although considered a nuisance to humans and a pest for our crops and animals, insects play a fundamental role in nature. Importantly, they provide food at low environmental cost, a successful alternative to conventional livestock and feed sources.

I will now outline the main benefits of edible insects as a form of food.

First, in developing nations, they contribute positively to livelihoods. The process of insect gathering, rearing and processing can offer employment and income at both household level and at a larger, industrial-scale. Even the poorest members of society can participate, women and landless dwellers included, these activities also improving their own diets. Insects can be collected from nature or farmed with minimal technical or capital expenditure. These insects can be sold for human consumption or as fish or chicken feed. To those who may be malnourished or lack access to food due to natural disasters or conflict, insects’ nutritional composition can improve the quality of their diets.

This continues to my second point, they have various nutritional benefits. Studies on insects in Thailand, Mexico and Madagascar show the caloric density of insects can range from 300-700 calories per 100g. In particular, they show great macro-nutritious value.

Small grasshoppers have similar protein content to lean ground meat, with less fat per gram. Mealworms contain unsaturated omega-3 and six fatty acids that is comparable with that in fish and higher than in cattle and pigs. In a Chinese Study of 11 species of insects, they contained 13-77% protein content when at dry weight. Iron deficiency is the most common and widespread nutritional disorder, according to WHO. Insects such as palm weevils and mopane caterpillars contain iron levels of 12 and 31 mg per 100g, surpassing that of chicken at 1.2mg and beef at 3mg. Insects also contain essential amino acids such as lysine, threonine and tryptophan, which are lacking in foods such as cereals, rice and cassava which are a staple of many developing nations diets. Insects are able to fulfil these nutritional gaps in their diets. Other micronutrients can be found in insects, such as palm weevil larvae contain 26mg of zinc per 100g.

My third point is that insects are less straining on the environment in comparison to other animals that are consumed. Farming livestock requires the usage of land and water, as well as the production of feed which leads to the further clearing of land. Insects require significantly less land and water compared to livestock. To produce 1kg of livestock weight, 2.5kg of feed is required for chickens, 5kg for pork and 10kg for beef. An insect such as a cricket only requires 1.7kg respectively. The livestock sector is responsible for approximately 15% of the total emission of anthropogenic greenhouse gas (GHG). Husbandry contributions to GHG emissions are much lower for insects in comparison to beef and pigs. We cannot continue to expand this detrimental livestock industry and A suggested mitigation measure is a shift towards protein from lower impact animal species.

Due to their obvious smaller size, insects can be farmed vertically which lessens the potential land clearing issues. As DeFolliart 1997 states, Industrial-scale mass-production offers the possibility of tremendous impact by insects in meeting future world food needs without additional acreage for conventional intensive agriculture.

And finally, a few minor additions in favour of insect consumption.

  • With insects you can consume more of the end product. Only 40% of a cow can be eaten, in comparison to 80% of a cricket. Insects also reproduce more rapidly and in larger quantities.
  • Also, they mature and reproduce at a much faster rate. Cricket species can lay 1200–1500 eggs within 30 days. One female Tenebrio Molitor mealworm produces 160 eggs in a 3 three-month lifespan.
  • And, the production of edible insects may decrease the pressure for land-clearing, intensive monoculture agriculture and/or pesticides and will favour the preservation of biodiversity.

Overall, edible insects pose great benefits to both humans and the environment. So why are we not already consuming them?

Sources used:

A. Cassimaly, K. (2013). Why Should We Eat Insects? It’s the Future of Food. [online] Nature.com. Available at: https://www.nature.com/scitable/blog/labcoat-life/why_should_we_eat_insects [Accessed 16 Mar. 2019].

Cook, K. (n.d.). Food Security. [online] Entomophagy. Available at: https://entomophagyinfo.weebly.com/food-security.html [Accessed 29 Mar. 2019].

DeFoliart, G. (1997). An overview of the role of edible insects in preserving biodiversity. Ecology of Food and Nutrition, 36(2-4), pp.109-132.

Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (n.d.). How to Feed the World in 2050. [online] Available at: http://www.fao.org/fileadmin/templates/wsfs/docs/expert_paper/How_to_Feed_the_World_in_2050.pdf [Accessed 29 Mar. 2019].

Oonincx, D. and de Boer, I. (2012). Environmental Impact of the Production of Mealworms as a Protein Source for Humans – A Life Cycle Assessment. PLOS ONE, 7(12), p.e51145.

S. Holland, J. (2013). U.N. Urges Eating Insects; 8 Popular Bugs to Try. [online] News.nationalgeographic.com. Available at: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2013/13/130514-edible-insects-entomophagy-science-food-bugs-beetles/ [Accessed 16 Mar. 2019].

Smithsonian Institution. (n.d.). Insects as Food for Humans. [online] Available at: https://www.si.edu/spotlight/buginfo/insects-food [Accessed 16 Mar. 2019].

Tao, J. and Li, Y. (2018). Edible insects as a means to address global malnutrition and food insecurity issues. Food Quality and Safety, 2(1), pp.17-26.

van Huis, A., Van Itterbeeck, J., Klunder, H., Mertens, E., Halloran, A., Muir, G. and Vantomme, P. (2013). Edible insects: future prospects for food and feed security. [online] Rome: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Available at: http://www.fao.org/3/i3253e/i3253e.pdf [Accessed 16 Mar. 2019].

Yanes, J. (2017). Insects: the Food of the Future?. [online] OpenMind. Available at: https://www.bbvaopenmind.com/en/science/environment/insects-the-food-of-the-future/ [Accessed 16 Mar. 2019].

So, how am I faring so far?

Posted on by Naomi Nguyen

This beta presentation discusses the progress of my digital artefact, the idea of insects as a more widely consumed form of food in the future due to a global food crisis. My current prototype is the first of a two-part podcast series, the rest of this podcast series, along with a survey, are projected to be available by the end of next week.

The final video will combine the podcasts, survey and my final conclusions on the topic. The utility of this will be to provide the audience with a succinct overview of all research conducted, informing and educating them on the issue and providing them the knowledge to facilitate change.