Can Eating Termites Come With Health Risks?

It will likely take some time before Americans and other westerners warm up to the idea of eating termites. Despite the widespread claim that termites taste good, termites do not conjure up images of tasty or healthy eating in the minds of most westerners. However, in Africa, termites have been consumed for thousands of years. Native Africans are discriminate about which types of termites they consume. For instance, worker termites are reportedly undesirable as a food source, but winged termites (alates) are the most sought after, and apparently, they are the tastiest as well. Soldier termites are also consumed regularly, but queen termites are left alone, as there only exists one per colony, and catching one would mean destroying an entire nesting mound. Although termites are proven to be highly nutritious, consuming these insects does not come without health risks.

All insects, termites included, carry disease-causing pathogens that can be absorbed in the guts of those who eat them. This is understandable, as insects can inhabit areas that are less than sanitary, to say the least. For example, researchers purchased termites from a roadside vendor in Kenya, only to discover that they were tainted with lethal doses of Streptococcus aureus and Staphylococcus aeruginosa upon laboratory testing. Falling ill from pathogen-contaminated insects is a natural consequence of consuming insects that have not undergone food safety assessments. It is not unheard of for packaged termites to develop deadly contaminants while being shipped. One record found five people who died from botulism as a result of consuming termites that became contaminated over a four day shipping period. These termites were shipped in plastic bags that created an anaerobic condition for the termites. Consuming termites can also result in parasitic infections, but this risk comes with the consumption of any insect that is not properly processed. In order to prevent consumers from falling ill from the consumption of edible termites, heat and pressure treatments are essential, but this process is only legally required once food safety organizations approve of termites as a legitimate source of food. This has yet to occur in many western countries.

Have you ever felt ill after consuming insects in another country?