🎧 Insects on the Menu
A Vision for Sustainable Eating with Dr. Victor Meyer-Rochow
Did you know a single locust swarm can feed thousands? This week on the show, our guest Dr. Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow explores the world of edible insects and how they could revolutionize our food system. Dr. Meyer-Rochow is an expert in neurobiology and ethnobiological studies; he has been studying the nutritional and ecological benefits of insect consumption, and the cultural shifts affecting entomophagy (the practice of eating insects since the 1970s. Despite early skepticism, Meyer-Rochow highlights how edible insects offer a sustainable alternative with low environmental impact, suitable for addressing food security without the heavyweight of conventional livestock farming. The conversation also touches on the challenges of changing public perception towards insects as food in Western countries and the ongoing erosion of traditional insect-eating practices in countries where it was once common, suggesting the need for innovative approaches to reintegrate insects into the diet.
About Victor
Dr. Victor Benno Meyer-Rochow is a New Zealander with a PhD in Neurobiology and a DSc in Ethnobiological Studies (both from the Australian National University in Canberra), whose neurobiological research took him several times to Antarctica and the Arctic, but whose ethnobiologial work focused on Central and Western Australia, Papua New Guinea, North-East India and the DPRK (North Korea). He was Managing Director of the Research Institute of Luminous Organisms on the Japanese Pacific island of Hachijojima from 2014 until 2019 when he accepted a 3-year contract as Visiting Professor at Andong National University in South Korea. Currently Emeritus Professor at Oulu University’s Dept. of Genetics and Ecology in Finland, he has been an active member of the suicide research group at that university’s Psychiatry Department. To date he has published approx. 500 research papers and books, wrote for 6.5 years the weekly “Bioforthebiobuff” science blogs and was awarded fellowships by the Alexander v. Humboldt Foundation, Japanese Society for the Promotion of Science, Fulbright Foundation and Finnish Academy. He has been a Queen Elizabeth II Fellow in Marine Sciences and a recipient of China’s Bingh-Zhi Forum Prize.
Listen to the interview
Listen to the podcast on any of your favorite podcast streaming services. Subscribe to Foodie Pharmacology to access new episodes weekly! If you enjoy this and other episodes, let me know! Give is a 5-star rating on Apple Podcasts so others can find it and enjoy!
Watch the video
Available exclusively on the Teach Ethnobotany YouTube Channel, you can catch the full video version of this episode and others! Enjoy!
Yours in health, Dr. Quave
Cassandra L. Quave, Ph.D. is a scientist, author, speaker, podcast host, wife, mother, explorer, and professor at Emory University School of Medicine. She teaches college courses and leads a group of research scientists studying medicinal plants to find new life-saving drugs from nature. She hosts the Foodie Pharmacology podcast and writes the Nature’s Pharmacy newsletter to share the science behind natural medicines. To support her effort, consider a paid or founding subscription, with founding members receiving an autographed 1st edition hardcover copy of her book, The Plant Hunter.
Available in hardcover, paperback, audio, and e-book formats!
