ABSTRACT
Insects and other terrestrial arthropods figure in the arts, religion, folklore, recreation and diet of many cultures. Ethnoentomology is the study of the interactions between humans and arthropods in these spheres of culture. A minor, but persistent, component of the trade consists of insects that are packed and sold for human consumption. One result is that ethnoentomologies of the use of food insects in the diets of other cultures find applications that reach into the societies of even the most industrialized countries. The fact that a food product consists largely or entirely of insects intentionally processed and packaged for use as human food does not automatically bar it from commercial distribution in most countries, including the United States. Citizens of industrialized societies consume insect products as food, but the food is usually refined to where its arthropod component is not obvious.
