How Safe Is It To Eat Food That Ants Have Crawled On?

Sometimes, no matter what kitchen cleaning magic tricks you have up your sleeve, ants will still show up to share your food, whether you like it or not. If you don't catch ants in time, there's a chance they may already be crawling on your lunch. If this happens, is it safe to just remove the ants and continue eating? Or is your food officially a sacrifice to the colony? The answer depends. 

First, it's important to note that there are actually a fair number of people who intentionally eat ants, thanks to their abundant nutritional benefits. Ants have about 14 grams of protein and 5.6 milligrams of iron per 100 grams, which makes them an excellent superfood. They're also a great source of fiber, zinc, magnesium, and other good-for-you vitamins and minerals.

However, if you see or suspect that ants have crawled on your food, there's good reason to proceed with caution. If you use chemicals in your home like ant traps or spray, the ants crawling on your food may have remnants of toxic chemicals on them. The same goes if you're dining out or having a picnic in a public park. The insects could be carrying anything from the environment with them on their food-finding escapade, including harmful bits of the world right onto your meal. Unless your food has a doormat for the ants to use, it's best to avoid anything they've touched.

If this information has made you rethink using chemicals to rid your home of ants, there are plenty of ways to keep ants out of your kitchen using pantry staples like white vinegar or cornstarch. If you find a group of ants in your home, you can smother them with cornstarch and then vacuum them up. But if you'd rather not use cornstarch for such a morbid purpose, clean your home surfaces with a mixture of one part white vinegar and one part water. Ants — like a lot of people — are put off by the smell of vinegar.

Other scents that deter ants include coffee grounds, tea tree oil, and peppermint. Many of these can be sprinkled or sprayed near entrances to your home that ants can access, like window sills or baseboards. But the best way to keep out ants is to maintain a clean, dry kitchen. Ants are most active in the evening , so doing nightly kitchen cleaning before bed and making sure all surfaces and sinks are dry will let ants know they aren't welcome. So while it's good to be adventurous, and eating ants is something you might find you enjoy, proceed with caution when they crawl onto your food.