Bug diet worries experts

Bug diet worries experts

BANGKOK (AFP): The growing popularity of insect eating in Thailand has begun to worry experts concerned about the possible impact on the environment.

A two-year-old study has found that Thais, traditionally partial to ants, giant water beetles and grasshoppers, have recently added 11 other insect species to their diet, the Bangkok Post reported.

Once confined to the rural poor in the north of the country, bug-eating has now become fashionable among wealthy city Thais, according to research team leader Angoon Lewvanich.

Species such as bamboo caterpillars now fetch as much as 1,000 baht (25 dollars) per kilogram and everything from ants to scorpions can be found in Bangkok's markets, he said.

"Several pollinators and predators have been accidentally wiped out by pesticides," said Visuth Baimai, director of the Biodiversity Research and Training Program.

"It is worrying to learn now that many insects which have become popular as food are predators."

A shortage of predators could lead to a proliferation of pest insects, he said, putting Thailand's delicate ecological balance at risk.

In nutritional terms however bug-eating was given the thumbs up. The research team found protein levels compared favorably with prawns and freshwater fish.