During a recent performance on her sold-out Eras tour, Taylor Swift had a relatable moment when a bug flew into her mouth, causing her to have a coughing fit. She informed her fans of the unexpected snack and even declared it to be "delicious." Videos of the incident were widely shared on social media, with people joking about the insect's luck. However, Swift's encounter with insects is not uncommon, as humans often ingest bugs either through breathing them in or eating them in our food.
Humans often ingest bugs either through breathing them in or eating them in our food, but most of them are harmless. People with shellfish allergies are more likely to have reactions to bugs because insects belong to the phylum Arthropoda, which refers to their “jointed appendages,” which are like those of shrimp, lobsters and crayfish. Estimates online claiming that people eat 1 to 2 pounds worth of insects a year are extremely implausible, according to an entomology professor at the University of Tennessee. The U.S. Department of Agriculture has indicated that the rumored estimate of 1 or 2 pounds annually is far overblown.
