Ancient Insect Diets Offer Insights Into Sustainable Food Systems
Archaeological research suggests that insects have been a consistent part of human diets throughout history. The study argues that re-evaluating these cultural practices could support the adoption of more sustainable protein sources.
Why it matters
As global food security faces climate challenges, understanding historical insect consumption provides a scientific basis for diversifying modern sustainable food systems.
A new research from Professor Lisa-Marie Shillito in our Archaeology Department is highlighting how insects have been part of human diets for thousands of years despite seeming unusual to many people.
The study explores how evidence of insect consumption could help reshape attitudes towards alternative protein sources.
Evidence from archaeological sites across the world shows that insects have long provided an important source of food.
Researchers have identified insect remains in ancient preserved human waste, traces on cooking equipment and tools, and evidence of insect harvesting and storage.
In the United States, for example, archaeological discoveries reveal that people ate grasshoppers, beetles and other insects thousands of years ago.
Evidence from Australia also shows that moths were cooked and ground into food around 2,000 years ago.
Today, insects remain part of traditional diets in many parts of Africa, Asia and Latin America, including grasshoppers in Uganda and Mexico.
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