Future aspects of insects' ingestion in Malaysia and Indonesia for human well-being and religion regulation

Abstract

Current trends have demonstrated increasing interest in maintaining and improving the state of human well-being. Natural resources, mainly plants, have been constantly used and studied for producing food and pharmaceutical products with beneficial effects on various functions in the body. However, potential food shortages, challenges in maintaining and improving human health and environmental concerns have led to the discovery of alternative and sustainable food sources to accommodate the growing and aging global populations. The consumption of insects in Asia has been mainly reported in China, Japan, the Lao People's Democratic Republic, Thailand, and Vietnam. However, less consumption has been reported in Malaysia and Indonesia due to a lack of traditional knowledge by younger generations and uncertainty in the permissibility of insect consumption from a halal perspective. This review will provide a compilation of the traditional knowledge of insect consumption in Malaysia and Indonesia to provide a better understanding of insect consumption from an Islamic perspective. In addition, we will discuss the potential of locusts, which are permissible and halal for human consumption, for human well-being for Muslim populations.