Are Insects Edible? A Narrative Review of Children's Perceptions of and Willingness to Consume Edible Insects

Meat production is a significant contributor to climate change. Alternative proteins such as edible insects offer a lower-emission, protein-rich alternative to meat. Most of the research exploring attitudes to edible insect products does so with adult populations. However, children's views should not be overlooked, given their exposure to current and future climate impacts and their stake in the future food landscape. Our aim was to review existing literature to understand how children and adolescents perceive edible insects and how willing they are to consume them, to explore any potential differences with adults' perceptions, and identify fertile avenues for future research. We identified 13 studies that considered four to 20-year-olds' perceptions of and willingness to consume edible insects. Four studies used qualitative and nine quantitative methods. We identified five themes from the reviewed studies and found that three of these: product characteristics; the nature of exposure to edible insects; and nutritional-psychological factors appear related to children's perceptions of and willingness to try edible insects. We identify opportunities for future research and highlight the need for studies to consider wider infrastructural, cultural, and social factors in addition to individual-level factors.