A new study done by a lawn care company is ranking Alabama below average for best states for foreign edible insect and wildlife cuisine. LawnStarter is a lawn service company that also conducts studies for environmental related subjects.
Alabama ranked 34th overall in the study, which used eight metrics across four categories:
· Access includes number of invasive edible species, number of animals legal to hunt and food establishments serving edible insects
· Climate includes percentage of sunshine and number of very hot days
· Regulatory includes incidence of rabies and roadkill legality
· Interest includes Google search interest
Kimberly Magerl, an editor for LawnStarter, said the combination of lack of interest, poor climate for foraging and lack of restaurants serving insects is the cause for the below average ranking the Yellowhammer State received.
Magerl also said Alabama has less invasive species that are edible with contributed to the 24th place ranking the state got in the access category. The company used invasive species as the metric because of how they affect the environment.
“You guys had fewer edible invasive species, and we looked at invasive species specifically because we talk a lot about native ants and native insects and pollinators and how they're beneficial to the environment,” she said. “So if you were looking to look into population control, obviously harvesting invasive species would be the way to go first from a sustainability standpoint.”
In the climate category, Alabama ranked 48th. Magerl said the state’s hot and humid climate also contributed to the low ranking.
“We looked at percentage of sunshine and the percentage number of hot days. So obviously you guys had a lot of sunshine, which was in your favor, but your heat and your humidity overall knocks you down. It's just not a great [or] conducive [environment for] being outside and foraging animals or insects,” she explained.
The Yellowhammer state ranked 3rd for the regulatory category. Magerl said this is due to the limitations Alabama has on hunting.
“We looked at whether rabies is in a state, and then the legality of harvesting roadkill. And it is legal in Alabama with limitations,” she said. “So you guys have laws surrounding it, whether you need a permit, or there's specific species you can harvest, or specific times of the year.”
However, Alabama ranked just below average in the interest category coming in at 27th place. Magerl said this is because nobody in the Yellowhammer state is searching for edible insects and wildlife.
Different cultural cuisines, which have made their way to America, use insects in their meals with the most common insects being crickets, mealworms and grasshoppers.
“Some common edible insects include things like crickets, mealworms and grasshoppers. Ants are also really popular in a lot of Latin American cuisines. And we're seeing a lot of these cuisines come into the U.S., and in the form of restaurants that are serving global cuisine. So you've got Asian cuisine, African cuisine, and a lot of Latin American countries as well,” Magerl explained.
According to Magerl, crickets are the most popular insect to eat due to the versatility they have.
“The most popular is probably cricket. It's just a great entry point into trying them, because cricket can be they're fried and they're pretty crunchy, they're pretty tasty [and] they're just kind of earthy. And then that they can also be ground into powders, like flour, protein powder, that sort of thing. So you don't even know that you're eating insects unless you know you've been told,” she said.
Eating insects has nutritional due to their protein, healthy fats, vitamin, mineral and fiber content and has a positive effect on the environment and economy.
“They're sustainable. They require way fewer resources to farm than, say, livestock. So you're not cutting down as many trees, you're not using as much water you [use less] fertilizer, that sort of thing,” Magerl explained. “So you're creating less greenhouse gasses, and then, as far as you know, economic benefits you're looking at, you know, supporting food security and providing, new economic opportunities.”
To read the full study and view all rankings visit LawnStarter’s website here.
