I was recently interviewed for an up-and-coming print article in Newsweek magazine. The interviewer/author of the article found me by way of talking to growers near New York City who referred her to me. The reason she was on the trail in the first place stemmed directly from her experience at a local eatery in the city that serves organic foods. She ordered a salad and found a little green bug in it. An aphid I suspect. I must acknowledge that she handled the situation in the most exemplary way: She picked out the bug and ate her salad. She didn’t freak out, she wasn’t outraged, and didn’t complain to the staff, or cause a ruckus. She put it in perspective, took it all in stride, and was mature and reasonable about the whole matter. People in some countries eat insects by choice on a regular basis so while she didn’t eat the critter (I wouldn’t either for that matter), she wasn’t put off by it. What’s good for some should perhaps be at least acceptable to others — in many cases anyway.
I have written about this subject before, and thought I had done so on this site, but I couldn’t locate a reference and realized I must have written about this in one of the myriad print articles I’ve produced over the years so it was high-time to do it here. It’s a great subject, one that needs to be here and put into the lime light so I just had to discuss this with you, my dear reader.
What would you do if you found a bug in your salad? Would you do as the above-referenced author did or would scream bloody murder? Would you expect a free salad because you got a little chunk of unexpected protein in your lunch? Would you request a replacement salad (wasting the food on your plate knowing there are literally millions of people all over the world who don’t have enough to eat)? I hate waste so I’d do what she did. Sure, finding a bug in your salad isn’t the most appetizing thought, but nor is it the end of the world. It’s really no big deal.
Can’t deal with the thought? Why not? You’ve eaten bugs before (or you just haven’t lived a full life). If you have ridden on a motorcycle, you’ve probably eaten a bug. Same applies if you have ever been in a convertible. Same goes if you’ve gone outside during black fly season in New England. It happens. Have you ever eaten canned goods or any processed and/or packaged foods? Did you know that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) allows insects, insect parts, and insect eggs in the food you eat? They actually have an allowance. Finding a link to cite a specific article wasn’t possible, but just check out what I found on Google. You can go from there.
Do not be overly alarmed. Eating insect parts is gross but usually not harmful. In fact Iowa State University even has a nifty website with tasty insect recipes. In addition, the United States Food and Drug Administration cares about how many insect parts you eat. They have established maximum allowable standards. Foods are routinely inspected to ensure they are meeting these standards. For instance, the maximum level of insect fragments allowed in 50 grams of flour (about 1/2 cup) is 75 parts.
— Dr. Irene’s Health and Nutrition Tips
on HealthandAge.com
The moral of the story is that this has nothing to do with organic foods. It’s all foods. Don’t freak out if it happens to you. If you scream and complain you’re doing nothing to help the problem, or solve the problem, assuming it even is a problem. If you find a live insect in your salad it could be viewed as a good thing. After, the insect is alive so the salad must be 1) fresh and 2) not chemically-treated. These are both good things so be grateful instead of angry or grossed out. I suspect a hungry person would be delighted to even have your lunch, with insects or not. Think about it.
