Singapore has approved 16 species of insect as safe for human consumption, as global food trends look to more sustainable protein options for the future.
Creepy-crawlies now fit for consumption include crickets, grubs, moth larvae and even one species of honeybee, according to the Singapore Food Agency.
Entomologist Neil Birrell told Breakfast that New Zealand should follow Singapore's lead and get on board with eating bugs for breakfast.
"They've got much lower environmental impact than other livestock, so one of the benefits is they can be grown in a very small space so they take very little land area.
"They also have a much smaller feed conversion ratio so the feed you give them they turn into protein much more efficiently, which gives you some sort of benefits when it comes to green house gasses.
Birrell said huhu grubs, crickets and mealworms in particular had been eaten for a long time across many cultures.
"I'm sure every New Zealander knows everyone who has tried a huhu grub, whether that was on a school camp or just [finding one] while chopping wood," he laughed.
"For a chef, they're sort of a dream as they have lots of different textures and flavours to play with."
His advice for anyone wanting to try insects for the first time was to cook alongside a chef to understand how to best prepare and present the bugs in an appealing way.
"So if you like things crunchy, that's often the way into it."
He referenced the country's first locust farmer who ran his business Otago Locusts in Dunedin, saying the farmer's locusts were already available at some restaurants across the country.
Asked whether insects would ever replace steak in the future, Birrell said he suspected it would be "another option people could have".
"If people wanted to try something that is a little bit more, say, sustainable in their diets. They could use that to reduce some of the reliance on steak.
"But ultimately if they wanted to make the biggest impact for the environment they'll add more chickpeas, lentils etc."
Insects are already eaten in 128 countries, according to an international study published this year in the journal Scientific Reports, which found 2205 species are eaten worldwide.
Most of these species are in Asian countries, followed by Mexico, and African countries.
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