Research Article
Assessing the Acceptability of Winged Termites
(Alate mothlaronisoptera) as an Alternative Food in Northern Uganda
Stella Kyebarize*,
Mary Orinda,
Donald Rugira Kugonza,
Gershom Nuwemuhwezi
Issue:
Volume 14, Issue 1, February 2026
Pages:
1-20
Received:
9 October 2025
Accepted:
11 December 2025
Published:
16 January 2026
DOI:
10.11648/j.jfns.20261401.11
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Abstract: The study aimed at assessing the acceptability of winged termites as an alternative food in northern Uganda. The study objectives were: to determine the socio-economic factors that influence consumer acceptance of winged termites, and to assess the contribution of winged termites’ consumption acceptance on food security in Northern Uganda. The study employed a cross-sectional survey design, where both qualitative and quantitative approaches were used. The sample comprised of 384 community members, 14 agricultural officers, 20 health workers, and 10 nutritionists. Community members were selected using simple random sampling, while the other categories were selected purposively. Data was collected by use of questionnaires and interview guides. Quantitative data was analyzed using SPSS software and thematic content analysis was used to analyze qualitative data. Study findings revealed one-unit increase in consumers’ disease association with winged termites, the odds of the outcome variable increase by a factor of 0.045. This means that consumers with winged-insects’ perception of having diseases have a probability of 4.5% of accepting the consumption of winged termites. However, the associated p-value (Sig) of 0.751 suggests that the effect of disease perception on acceptance of consumption of winged termites is not statistically significant at the conventional 0.05 significance level implying that the null hypothesis would prevail that disease perception does not have a significant effect on consumers’ acceptance of winged termites. Thus, for every one unit of increase in the concerns of the consumers’ health perceptions, the odds of consuming winged termites would decrease by a factor of 0.594. This means that consumers who are biased about their health by consuming winged termites have a probability of 59.4% of not consuming the winged termites hence not accepting the consumption of winged termites. Basing on the study findings, it is therefore concluded that the acceptability of winged termites has an influence on food security in northern Uganda. The study therefore recommended that there is need for commercialization of edible insects’ value chain, and educating consumers about the environmental and nutritional benefits of winged termites; and areas of further research were suggested on the choice experiment can be used instead of ANOVA, regression model and a further study.
Abstract: The study aimed at assessing the acceptability of winged termites as an alternative food in northern Uganda. The study objectives were: to determine the socio-economic factors that influence consumer acceptance of winged termites, and to assess the contribution of winged termites’ consumption acceptance on food security in Northern Uganda. The stud...
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