Q: You have prepared your food. You've settled to eat. Then an insect crawls onto it. Do you throw your food away?

Krishna: 

How about removing the part on which the insect crawled on and eating the rest of it?

I don’t want to waste any food. So I will try my best to protect it. I will never leave it unattended. If that is not possible in extreme conditions, I will follow the above one.

A bug from your clean kitchen is less risky than one from a sewer or faeces-covered areas.

If the bug came from a very dirty environment like a sewer? With lots of Germs? A wild bug on your meal introduces pathogens. You can reheat the food in such cases to kill them.

Again, if the insect was exposed to bug spray or poison, it's extremely dangerous. It can transfer some of it to the food if it crawls on it. It is better not to eat such food.

Some people are allergic to insects. I am allergic to hairy caterpillars. A hairy caterpillar crawling on food can transfer its hairs (setae) to the food. Many species of hairy caterpillars are covered in urticating hairs, which are barbed, venomous, and designed to detach easily upon contact. If these hairs are transferred to food and subsequently ingested, they can cause irritation to the lips, mouth, and throat. Ingestion can lead to symptoms like drooling, vomiting, and pain. The toxins on the caterpillar hairs can remain active for a long time, even if the caterpillar is no longer present. If a caterpillar has crawled on food, it is highly recommended to discard the food to avoid ingestion of the hairs.

I won’t touch or eat the food when a hairy caterpillar walks on it.

And some people eat insects ((entomophagy). Common in many cultures, especially in Asia (e.g., deep-fried spiders in Vietnam, wasps in Japan), Africa (e.g., mopane worms, termites), Mexico, and South America (e.g., ants). (1)

Don’t say Yuck! It is their food! These individuals think they are nutritious protein sources, with examples like ants, beetles, grasshoppers, and grubs eaten for taste, tradition, and sustainability.

Although insects have been consumed for thousands of years in several cultures—from Mexico to Congo, Thailand and Japan—their integration into larger-scale food systems is relatively recent. This raises questions about the safety and regulation of these products.

Microbiological risks are a major concern. Like any food of animal origin, insects can carry pathogenic bacteria such as Salmonella spp. or E. coli. (3)

Nonetheless, some reports say in the samples analyzed in some places no contamination was detected.

 These results are encouraging, but researchers stress that caution is still needed, especially with regard to traceability and breeding conditions.

So, some researchers want to convince people to consume nutritious insects (2).

Faced with exploding global demand for protein and the growing environmental impact of animal farming, insects are emerging as an attractive alternative: they are rich in nutrients, resource-efficient and have already been tested by researchers (3).

Another issue often overlooked is the risk of allergies. The proteins in certain insects, such as crickets and mealworms, are similar to those found in shellfish. This means that people who are allergic to shrimp or crab could have a similar reaction to insect-based products.

But not all people suffer these allergies.

When insects themselves are consumed, a small insect crawling on it isn’t reason enough to discard a plate full of food.

Image credit: Brooklyn Bugs

Footnotes:

1. Insects as food - Wikipedia
2. https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2217537119
3. Eating insects: A sustainable solution or an overhyped idea?