More than 40 per cent of study participants are open to eating insects

Insects are eaten around the world and Quebec food scientists in Laval University are hoping chomping down on a cicada, green goddess tofu becomes trendy in Canada.

While disgust remains a major barrier to consuming insect-based foods, 44 per cent of participants in a study conducted by a Concordia University student in Montreal expressed some openness to eating this type of food.

Nadezhda Velchovska, an undergraduate student in the Department of Psychology, surveyed 252 Canadian visitors over the age of 18 at the Montreal Insectarium between October 2024 and February 2025 to gauge their interest in insect-based foods.

The results of this study, published last January in the journal Scientific Reports, published by Nature, show that 44 per cent of participants reported some openness to eating insects: 18 per cent had already consumed them, while 26 per cent said they were willing to try them.

However, only 27 per cent of participants said they were inclined to include insects in their daily diet, and 17 per cent said they were willing to prepare insects at home.

• READ MORE: Quebec City professor hopes to promote edible insect farming

Velchovska’s study was supervised by Rassim Khelifa, an assistant professor in the Department of Biology at Concordia.

Velchovska notes, however, that by conducting her study at the Insectarium, she was in a setting where participants might be more curious about insects.

The student indicated that the biggest obstacle to eating insects is “clearly disgust.”

“Many people still associate insects with something that is dirty, dangerous, or inedible,” she said. ”But even though these reactions are mostly cultural, there are also many concerns related to food safety and a fear of insects, which is also very significant.

“Even when people understand the environmental or nutritional benefits or are curious to try them, there is still an emotional reaction that can remain very strong.”

The psychology student noted that the form of the product is “essential” when it comes to people’s interest in eating insects.

“People are more open to it when insects are incorporated into familiar foods, such as baked goods, protein bars—especially among the younger adults in the sample—or even in flour, for example,” she said. “The less you see the insect, the easier it is to eat.”

Velchovska emphasized that if entomophagy—the consumption of insects—becomes more popular in the future, it will be important to be transparent about the safety, origin, and nutritional value of the food.

While insects are a good source of protein, Velchovska noted that her study showed that the environmental argument “makes a big difference in the acceptance of insects.”

“They (insects) are still considered a sustainable option. A significant portion of our sample also believed that this is a good reason to eat them,” she said. ”In fact, they require fewer resources such as water, land for farms, and also less food to raise them.

“In a context where food systems are facing environmental pressures, as is currently the case with meat, for example, they still present a good and interesting option to explore.”

The right product for different age groups

Velchovska pointed out that there is a perception that young adults are more likely to want to eat insects than older adults. However, the student found that interest in entomophagy among different age groups depends more on the type of product offered.

“An adult of, say, 50 years old, will be more interested in trying an interesting cheese,” says Velchovska, referring to the Italian cheese casu marzu, made with larvae. “They were really more interested in trying something like, for example, an insect-based protein bar.”

The student also found during the study that men were generally more inclined to consume insect-based products than women and reported more prior experience with this type of food.

Velchovska noted that education plays a role in people’s willingness to eat insects.

“We also found that people with a college degree were still more open to experimenting with insect-based ingredients, especially in a culinary context, such as at home,” she said, noting that this trend is particularly evident among women.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published in French on June 6, 2026.