Eating crocodiles is not new. It has always been a part of ancient cultures in many countries. Today, listing crocodiles as part of the menu is still ongoing. There are many reasons why people resort to eating massive reptiles.
One of the latest trends that spiked just recently was the increased market of crocodile meats in Thailand. The demand and production surged in the local regions due to the overpricing of traditional pork meat.
Eating Crocodile Meat Thailand is Cheaper Than Pork Due to Detection of African Swine Fever
A client waits to be served roasted crocodile on a street in Bangkok on December 3, 2019.
The surge of crocodile consumerism in Thailand was ignited by the excessive price rates of traditional pork meat. According to a report by Vice, the price hike was because of the damage inflicted to pig farmers amidst the reappearance of the African swine fever (ASF) in January.
Reuters reported that the first case of African swine fever was detected on January 11. Before Thailand, there were several countries in Asia that encountered the disease in earlier years, including Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.
Crocodile meat was always a part of the food market in most developing countries. Tracing back to various traditions, crocodiles eventually aligned with the delicacies of various regions, especially in Asia. Modern-day diet modification even recommends several chunks of crocodile meat as part of a specialized meal plan.
More and more health specialists and gym instructors are leaning towards the so-called 'benefits' of eating crocodile meat. However, a study presented how exotic food could harm our well-being.
Crocodiles are part of the reptilian animal group. Hunting for these scaled species is prevalent due to the unique skins they are wrapped in. Excessive poaching has often led to the extinction of most reptiles. Alongside their thick scales, many population groups and restaurant enterprises are fond of killing them to produce meat. Aside from crocodiles, reptilian delicacy includes lizards, snakes, and turtles.
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Is Eating Crocodiles and Other Reptiles Safe?
The study, led by the experts front the World Health Organization, states that eating reptiles could heighten a person's risk of various diseases. These problems could scale from pentastomiasis, sparganosis, trichinosis, or gnathostomiasis. By simply eating crocodile and other reptilian meat, human consumers can also ingest several bacteria.
WHO expert and lead author of the research Simone Magnino said in a report by ScienceDaily that microbiological risks come with eating reptiles. Alongside the diseases, numerous bacteria are found in reptile meats, including Yersinia enterolitica, Staphylococcus aureus, the famous Salmonella, Escherichia coli, Campylobacter, Shigella, and Clostridium.
Magnino said that each bacteria could manifest dangerous illnesses that could inflict different severities to human health.
Magnino explained that their study focused on the reptiles considered domesticated or pets. However, separate papers also point to the negative effects of eating meat from wild species or even the animals that were bred in captivity.
Any consumable meats extracted from any animal sources must be frozen to the deactivate microorganisms, such as parasites, that are thriving on it. Proper cooking, as well as industrial processing methods, could also help pathogens to be eliminated from the food.
Many countries include crocodiles and other reptiles as a source of nutrition and protein. Several imports of reptilian food are on the rise, and most of the industrialized products come from the United States, Zimbabwe, and South Africa.
According to the Scientific Panel on Biological Risks of the European Food Safety Authority (ESFA), the highest consumers of reptile meat are Germany Belgium. Holland, France, and the United Kingdom. The study was published in the journal International Journal of Food Microbiology, titled "Biological risks associated with consumption of reptile products."
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