ORIGINAL RESEARCH article
Front. Sustain. Food Syst.
Sec. Nutrition and Sustainable Diets
Volume 9 - 2025 | doi: 10.3389/fsufs.2025.1685008
This article is part of the Research TopicTropical Entomophagy for Human NutritionView all articles
Locusts as a Sustainable Protein Source: Perceptions and Nutritional Awareness Among Saudi Citizens
Provisionally accepted
- Department of Food and Nutrition Sciences, College of Agricultural and Food Sciences, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa, Saudi Arabia
Select one of your emails
You have multiple emails registered with Frontiers:
Notify me on publication
Please enter your email address:
If you already have an account, please login
You don't have a Frontiers account ? You can register here
Background: Locusts are traditionally consumed in Saudi Arabia and recognized globally for their high nutritional value and environmental sustainability. However, their acceptance as a mainstream protein source remains limited due to psychological and cultural barriers. Aim: This study aimed to assess locust consumption patterns, nutritional awareness, and public acceptance among Saudi citizens, with implications for sustainable nutrition and food security. Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted with 564 participants using a structured questionnaire. Data were analysed using descriptive statistics, ANOVA, and Pearson correlation. Results: Only 24.1% had ever consumed locusts. Nutritional awareness was high, with 72.3% identifying locusts as protein rich. Half (50.0%) considered them a sustainable protein alternative. Willingness to try processed locust products was 37.2%. ANOVA revealed no significant demographic differences (p > 0.05), and the correlation between sustainability perception and willingness was weak (r = –0.0246). Conclusion: Although awareness is growing, public acceptance remains modest, highlighting the need for education and culturally appropriate interventions to promote edible insect consumption.
Keywords: locust consumption, Edible insects, Nutritional awareness, sustainable protein, Food security
Received: 13 Aug 2025; Accepted: 23 Sep 2025.
Copyright: © 2025 Alhajri. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY). The use, distribution or reproduction in other forums is permitted, provided the original author(s) or licensor are credited and that the original publication in this journal is cited, in accordance with accepted academic practice. No use, distribution or reproduction is permitted which does not comply with these terms.
* Correspondence: Ahlam Saleh Alhajri, aalhajri@kfu.edu.sa
Disclaimer: All claims expressed in this article are solely those of the authors and do not necessarily represent those of their affiliated organizations, or those of the publisher, the editors and the reviewers. Any product that may be evaluated in this article or claim that may be made by its manufacturer is not guaranteed or endorsed by the publisher.