Contribution to the knowledge of entomophagy in Africa

Abstract

The use of insects as food and feed is probably one of the most exciting topics in entomology in recent times. It is estimated that over 2 billion people worldwide consume insects and with the expanding interest on the subject, an exponential increase of this figure is highly likely. Insects are the largest and the most diverse group of organisms in the animal kingdom, with over 1 million species identified. Globally over 2,000 species are known to be edible and Africa alone consumes ~500 different species.