UK survey finds “disgust factor” needs to be overcome if eating insects is to become truly mainstream

EUROPEAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE STUDY OF OBESITY

UK survey examines consumer attitudes towards and willingness to consume insect-based foods.

Only 13% of respondents said they would be willing to regularly consume insects, with younger respondents less willing to give insects a try, as were those with higher sensitivity to food disgust.

*Please mention the European Congress on Obesity (ECO 2024, Venice,12-15 May) if using this material*

New research being presented at this year’s European Congress on Obesity (ECO) in Venice, Italy (12-15 May), finds that insect-based foods remain unappealing in the UK, and more needs to be done to change attitudes towards and willingness to consume insects, as a potential avenue for more sustainable food production which could reduce the carbon footprint of UK consumers.

Food production accounts for up to a quarter of all human greenhouse gas emissions. Livestock is a huge contributor to these emissions and researchers and policymakers are trying to develop and promote more sustainable ways to produce protein. One option gaining attention is farming and eating insects, such as crickets, flies, and worms, due to their potential nutritional and environmental advantages over other protein sources.

“Insects are a potentially rich source of protein and micro-nutrients and could help provide a solution to the double burden of obesity and undernutrition”, says lead author Dr Lauren McGale from Edge Hill University, UK. “Some insect proteins, such as ground crickets or freeze-dried mealworms, are cheaper and easier to farm, often lower in fat and have a lower environmental impact than traditional livestock.”

Despite these benefits, people in Western countries rarely eat insects, and many people are disgusted at the thought of insect-based food. Nevertheless, people are happy to eat lobster or crayfish despite their insect-like appearance, so it is possible attitudes could change.

To identify factors which may affect willingness to consume insects and to establish existing experience with insect-based food in the UK, researchers conducted an online survey of 603 UK adults (average age 34 years; 76% female) between 2019 and 2020, recruited using the Prolific recruitment platform—a large database of people from across the UK who have agreed to take part in research.

In the survey, participants were asked about their demographics (e.g., age, gender, ethnicity, and education level) and socioeconomic status as well as their level of concern about the environment.

Respondents were also asked to complete a Food Disgust Scale to measure how disgusting they find certain food-related situations, in order to determine their individual food disgust sensitivity. For example, participants are asked to rate their disgust at less commonly eaten parts of animals (such as organs, jaws, etc.), or their disgust response to food which had gone mouldy or had fallen on the floor.

They were also asked questions about anticipated taste/sensory perceptions, for example, how sweet, savoury, crunchy or slimy they anticipated insects to be in general, and their willingness to consume insects regularly.

The survey reveals that perception’s about insects’ taste or sensory properties were not generally favourable, with participants tending to rate them lower on visual or smell appeal, and anticipating lower levels of enjoyment, liking, or sweetness, and higher levels of savouriness, saltiness, and bitterness [1].

Overall, only 13% of respondents said they would be willing to regularly consume insects, compared to 47% who said they would not be willing, and 40% who responded maybe or that they were unsure.

Younger respondents were less open to consuming insects regularly, with each year younger being associated with a 2% increase in responding ‘no’ when asked if they would be willing to consume insects regularly.

Furthermore, as expected, levels of general food disgust predicted openness to consuming insects, with each point increase on the Food Disgust Scale predicting a 4% increase in saying ‘no’ to consuming insects.

Interestingly, disgust ratings were significantly higher for powdered insects than for whole insects. However, respondents' willingness to consume insects was also significantly higher for powdered insects than for whole insects despite higher levels of disgust.

“The disgust factor associated with eating whole insects could be overcome by incorporating insect flours into processed foods. This has been done successfully with rice products fortified with cricket or locust flours in other parts of the world”, says co-author Dr Maxine Sharps from De Montfort University, UK. “But if insects are to be a mainstream part of the Western diet, the disgust factor is one of most important challenges to be overcome. Afterall, there may be eventually no choice with climate change and projected global population growth.”

 

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COI STATEMENT

LM has no conflicts of interest to declare. However, whilst not in direct receipt of funding, she has previously been paid as a research assistant on projects funded by the American Beverage Association, Cancer Research UK, and WHO. MS has received funding from the British Academy for a project on nudges and plant-based eating.

Robot dog disguised as coyote lands job scaring birds away from runway

LOOKS MORE LIKE A GRASSHOPPER OR LOCUST

Aurora, with handler Ryan Marlow, will be camouflaged as a coyote or fox to ward off migratory birds and other wildlife at Fairbanks airport (Marc Lester/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

By Associated Press Reporters

Today at 15:55

A headless robot about the size of a labrador dog will be camouflaged as a coyote or fox to ward off migratory birds and other wildlife at Alaska’s second largest airport, a state agency has said.

The Alaska Department of Transportation and Public Facilities has named the new robot Aurora and said it will be based at the Fairbanks airport to “enhance and augment safety and operations”, the Anchorage Daily News reported.

The transportation department released a video of the robot climbing rocks, going up stairs and doing something akin to dancing while flashing green lights.

Those dancing skills will be put to use this fall during the migratory bird season when Aurora imitates predator-like movements to keep birds and other wildlife from settling near plane infields.

The sole purpose of this is to act as a predator and allow for us to invoke that response in wildlife without having to use other means

Ryan Marlow, robot handler

The plan is to have Aurora patrol an outdoor area near the runway every hour in an attempt to prevent harmful encounters between planes and wildlife, said Ryan Marlow, a programme manager with the transportation department.

The robot can be disguised as a coyote or a fox by changing out replaceable panels, he said.

“The sole purpose of this is to act as a predator and allow for us to invoke that response in wildlife without having to use other means,” Mr Marlow told legislators last week.

The panels would not be hyper-realistic, and Marlow said the agency decided against using animal fur to make sure Aurora remained waterproof.

The idea of using a robot came after officials rejected a plan to use flying drones spraying a repellent including grape juice.

Previous deterrent efforts have included officials releasing pigs at a lake near the Anchorage airport in the 1990s, with the hope they would eat waterfowl eggs near plane landing areas.

The test period in Fairbanks will also see how effective of a deterrent Aurora would be with larger animals and to see how moose and bears would respond to the robot, Mr Marlow told the Anchorage.

Fairbanks “is leading the country with wildlife mitigation through the use of Aurora. Several airports across the country have implemented robots for various tasks such as cleaning, security patrols, and customer service,” agency spokesperson Danielle Tessen said in an email to the Associated Press.

In Alaska, wildlife service teams currently are used to scare birds and other wildlife away from runways with loud sounds, sometimes made with paintball guns.

Last year, there were 92 animal strikes near airports across Alaska, including 10 in Fairbanks, according to an Federal Aviation Administration database.

Most strikes resulted in no damage to the aircraft, but Marlow said the encounters can be expensive and dangerous in the rare instance when a bird is sucked into an engine, potentially causing a crash.

An AWACS jet crashed in 1995 when it hit a flock of geese, killing 24 people at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Anchorage.

If the test proves successful, Mr Marlow said the agency could send similar robots to smaller airports in Alaska, which could be more cost effective than hiring human deterrent teams.

Aurora, which can be controlled from a table, computer or on an automated schedule, will always have a human handler with it, he said. It can navigate through rain or snow.

The robot from Boston Dynamics cost about 70,000 US dollars (£55,000) and was paid for with a federal grant.

Erratic weather fueled by climate change will worsen locust outbreaks, study finds

A farmer watches swarms of desert locusts that invaded his farm in Elburgon, -
Copyright © africanewsBrian Inganga/Copyright 2021 The AP. All rights reserved

By Rédaction Africanews
with AP 
CLIMATE CRISIS


Extreme wind and rain may lead to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks, with human-caused climate change likely to intensify the weather patterns and cause higher outbreak risks, a new study has found.

The desert locust — a short-horned species found in some dry areas of northern and eastern Africa, the Middle East, and South Asia — is a migratory insect that travels in swarms of millions over long distances and damages crops, causing famine and food insecurity.

A square kilometer swarm comprises 80 million locusts that can in one day consume food crops enough to feed 35,000 people. The U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization describes it as "the most destructive migratory pest in the world."

The study, published in Science Advances on Wednesday, said these outbreaks will be "increasingly hard to prevent and control" in a warming climate.

Xiaogang He, author of the study and an assistant professor at the National University of Singapore, said more frequent and severe extreme weather events due to climate change could add unpredictability to locust outbreaks.

But he hoped that the study could help countries understand and address "the impacts of climate variability on locust dynamics, particularly in the context of its repercussions on agricultural productivity and food security" and urged better regional and continental cooperation among countries and control organizations to respond quickly and build early warning systems.

To assess the risk of locust outbreaks in Africa and the Middle East and the connection to climate change, scientists analyzed incidents of desert locust outbreaks from 1985 to 2020 using the Food and Agriculture Organization's Locust Hub data tool.

They created and used a data-driven framework to examine the insects' patterns to find out what may cause outbreaks to happen across long distances.

They found that 10 countries, including Kenya, Morocco, Niger, Yemen, and Pakistan, experienced the majority of locust outbreaks among 48 affected nations.

The worst outbreak of desert locusts in 25 years struck East Africa in 2019 and 2020, when the insects ravaged hundreds of thousands of acres of farmland and damaged crops, trees and other vegetation, impacting food security and livelihoods.

Elfatih Abdel-Rahman, a scientist at International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology who wasn't part of the study, said widespread desert locust outbreaks due to climate change will substantially threaten livelihoods in the affected regions due to reduced food production and increase in food prices.

The researchers also found a strong link between the magnitude of desert locust outbreaks and weather and land conditions like air temperature, precipitation, soil moisture, and wind. Desert locusts are more likely to infest arid areas that receive sudden extreme rainfall, and the number of the insects in an outbreak is strongly impacted by weather conditions.

El Nino, a recurring and natural climate phenomenon that affects weather worldwide, was also strongly tied to bigger and worse desert locust outbreaks.

University of Delaware entomology professor Douglas Tallamy, who wasn't part of the research, said erratic weather and rainfall trigger spurts in vegetation and therefore fuels enormous population growth in locusts.

"As such variability increases, it is logical to predict that locust outbreaks will increase as well," said Tallamy.

The study is "yet another example of what should be a very strong wake-up call that societies across the globe need to come together to reduce climate change and its impacts but also to implement strategies in response to global events such as increasing threats of desert locusts," said Paula Shrewsbury, an entomology professor at the University of Maryland. Shrewsbury was not involved in the study.

The study found that especially vulnerable locations like Morocco and Kenya remain high-risk but locust habitats had expanded since 1985 and projects that they will continue growing by at least 5% by the end of the 21st century, predictably to west India and west central Asia.

It gives the example of the Rub' al Khali, or Empty Quarter, a desert in the southern Arabian Peninsula, as a place that was historically uncommon for desert locust outbreaks but then became a hotspot. The desert experienced locust outbreaks in 2019 after uncontrolled breeding following cyclones, which filled the desert with freshwater lakes.

Major locust outbreaks can have huge financial impacts. It cost more than $450 million to respond to a locust outbreak that happened in West Africa from 2003 to 2005, according to the World Bank. The outbreak had caused an estimated $2.5 billion in crop damage, it said.

Countries affected by desert locust outbreaks are already grappling with climate-driven extremes like droughts, floods and heat waves, and the potential escalation of locust risks in these regions could exacerbate existing challenges, said research author Xiaogang.

"Failure to address these risks could further strain food production systems and escalate the severity of global food insecurity," he said.

 

Locusts’ sense of smell boosted with custom-made nanoparticles

Wash U researchers amplify neuron signals from insect brain to achieve better chemical sensing performance

Peer-Reviewed Publication

WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY IN ST. LOUIS

 

IMAGE: 

SRIKANTH SINGAMANENI AND BARANI RAMAN LED A TEAM THAT HARNESSED THE POWER OF SPECIALLY MADE NANOSTRUCTURES THAT CAN ABSORB LIGHT AND CREATE HEAT AND ACT AS CONTAINERS TO STORE AND RELEASE CHEMICALS ON DEMAND. THEY USED THESE NANOSTRUCTURED MATERIALS TO BOOST NEURAL RESPONSE IN THE LOCUST'S BRAIN TO SPECIFIC ODORS AND TO IMPROVE THEIR IDENTIFICATION.

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CREDIT: SINGAMANENI LAB, WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY

Our sensory systems are highly adaptable. A person who cannot see after turning off a light in the night slowly achieves superior power to see even small objects. Women often attain a heightened sense of smell during pregnancy. How can the same sensory system that was underperforming can also exceed the expectation based on its prior performance?

Since nature has perfected its sensory systems over evolutionary time scales, an interdisciplinary team of researchers in the McKelvey School of Engineering at Washington University in St. Louis tapped into these capabilities to adapt the system on demand to perform at its peak performance. Their tools to achieve this goal: locusts and nanomaterials too small to see.

Srikanth Singamaneni and Barani Raman, both professors in the McKelvey School of Engineering, led a team that harnessed the power of specially made nanostructures that can absorb light and create heat, known as the photothermal effect, and act as containers to store and release chemicals on demand. They used these nanostructured materials to boost neural response in the locust's brain to specific odors and to improve their identification. Results of the research were published in Nature Nanotechnology Jan. 25, 2024.

Singamaneni, the Lilyan & E. Lisle Hughes Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, and Raman, professor of biomedical engineering, have collaborated for years with Shantanu Chakrabartty, the Clifford W. Murphy Professor in the Preston M. Green Department of Electrical & Systems Engineering, to harness the superior sensing capabilities of the locust olfactory system. Recently they demonstrated the feasibility of using a bio-hybrid electronic nose for sensing explosive vapors.

“We let the biology do the harder job of converting information about vaporous chemicals into an electrical neural signal,” Raman said. “These signals are detected in the insect antennae and are transmitted to the brain. We can place electrodes in the brain, measure the locusts’ neural response to odors, and use them as fingerprints to distinguish between chemicals.”

The idea, though sound, has a potential roadblock.

“We are limited by the number of electrodes and where we can place them,” Singamaneni said. “Since we will get only a partial signal, we want to amplify this signal. This is where we turned to heat and neuromodulation to enhance the signal we get.”

In the new research, the team used two strategies to boost the locusts’ ability to detect odors. First, the team created a biocompatible and biodegradable polydopamine nanoparticle that converts light to heat through a process called photothermal effect.

"Heat affects diffusion,” Raman said. “Imagine adding cold milk to hot coffee. The idea is to use the heat generated by nanostructures to locally heat, for example, a nanoheater, and enhance the neural activity.”

Second, these nanostructured materials can be made to load chemicals for storage. However, they need to be encapsulated by a covering material. The team used a phase-change material called tetradecanol which is solid at room temperature and transitions to liquid upon heating. When heated, the same nanoheaters will ooze the chemicals stored within them in addition to generating heat.

Singamaneni and the team stored octopamine, a neuromodulator involved in various functions, and released it on demand. Usually, these neuromodulators are released based on the needs of the organism. However, using the nanostructured heaters, they were released on demand to enhance the neural signals.

“Our study presents a generic strategy to reversibly enhance neural signals at the brain site where we place the electrodes,” Raman said.

“The nano-enabled neuromodulation strategy we developed opens new opportunities to realize tailored cyborg chemical sensing approaches,” said Prashant Gupta, a graduate student in Singamaneni’s lab and first author of the paper. “This approach would change an existing passive approach where information is simply read into an active one where the capabilities of the neural circuits as a basis for information processing are fully used.”

  

The nanostructures can absorb light and create heat and act as containers to store and release chemicals on demand.

CREDIT

Singamaneni lab, Washington University

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Gupta P, Chandak R, Debnath A, Traner M, Watson BM, Huan H, Gholami Derami H, Baldi H, Chakrabartty S, Raman B, Singamaneni S. Augmenting Insect Olfaction Performance through Nano-Neuromodulation. Nature Nanotechnology, Jan. 25, 2024, https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-023-01592-z

Funding for this research was provided by the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (#FA95501910394) and the Office of Naval Research (#N000142112343).

 

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JOURNAL

Nature Nanotechnology

DOI

10.1038/s41565-023-01592-z 

 

A new book provides a roadmap for food systems transformation in Kenya

Book Announcement

INTERNATIONAL FOOD POLICY RESEARCH INSTITUTE

 

IMAGE: 

TRANSFORMATION OF KENYA’S FOOD SYSTEM OFFERS A PROMISING AVENUE TO ACHIEVE THE COUNTRY’S DEVELOPMENT GOALS. THIS BOOK TAKES A CRITICAL LOOK AT THE WHOLE FOOD SYSTEM, INCLUDING FOOD SUPPLY CHAINS, THE FOOD ENVIRONMENT, CONSUMER BEHAVIOR, EXTERNAL DRIVERS, AND DEVELOPMENT OUTCOMES AND CONSIDERING THE SYSTEM’S HISTORY IN KENYA AND EXPERIENCES FROM OTHER COUNTRIES.

view more 

CREDIT: IFPRI

The past few years have seen Kenya, along with many other countries, confronted with multifaceted and compounding challenges. The disruptions caused by COVID-19, high levels of food price inflation, and environmental crises, such as locust infestations and droughts, have severely tested the resilience of Kenya’s food systems and the affordability of food for its citizens. Against this backdrop of challenges and ongoing demographic shifts, urbanization, and stagnating agricultural production, the need for reexamining the approach to Kenyan food systems has never been more critical.

A new IFPRI book Food Systems Transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the Past and Policy Options for the Future responds to this imperative by bringing together a wealth of empirical research on various aspects of Kenya’s food systems and offering a comprehensive overview of their historical trajectories and possibilities for future evolution. The book, edited by Clemens Breisinger, Michael Keenan, Juneweenex Mbuthia, and Jemimah Njuki, was launched on January 8, 2024, in Nairobi, Kenya, during a hybrid event co-organized by IFPRI, the International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development (MoALD), and the CGIAR Initiative on National Policies and Strategies.

The book takes a critical look at of the whole food system, including:

• The current state and drivers of transformation, in particular the country’s livestock sector and projections for its future.
• Ways to strengthen Kenyan food systems across several vital dimensions, such as promotion of healthier diets and food safety; enhanced productivity with greater intensification of the maize-based farming and improved access to agricultural inputs and mechanization; greater resilience through more widespread use of climate insurance and risk-contingent credit; improved livelihoods for women, youth, and smallholder farmers; and enhanced sustainability through postharvest management and digital tools.

Clemens Breisinger, the lead editor of the book, commented, “Kenya’s Government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) prioritizes food systems, and this book offers actionable strategies aligned with the national goals. Mobilizing funding for food systems transformation is critical as is strengthening the science-policy interface to help Kenya meet the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda. Despite the important role of the agri-food sector in Kenya’s economy, public expenditure in it remains low, hindering effective policy implementation. We hope that this book will serve as a guiding compass, offering a thorough exploration of the country's food systems and presenting actionable recommendations to support positive change.”

Johan Swinnen, Director General of IFPRI and Managing Director, Systems Transformation, CGIAR, highlighted the diversity of the book’s authors. “Researchers from Kenyan universities and research institutes, IFPRI and CGIAR colleagues, international academics, and experts from multilateral institutions came together to write this comprehensive resource for decision-makers in Kenya.”

The Hon. Mithika Linturi, Cabinet Secretary, Kenya’s Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development, noted in the foreword of the book, “We look forward to the Ministry’s continued collaboration with IFPRI, CGIAR, and other partners in creating research-based policy recommendations that will lead to a brighter, healthier future for all Kenyans.”

A free e-version of the book can be downloaded on the IFPRI website; print-on-demand hard copies can be ordered via Amazon.

Citation:

Breisinger, Clemens, ed.; Keenan, Michael, ed.; Mbuthia, Juneweenex, ed.; and Njuki, Jemimah, ed. 2023. Food systems transformation in Kenya: Lessons from the past and policy options for the future. Washington, DC: International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). https://doi.org/10.2499/9780896294561

About the Editors:

Clemens Breisinger is Program Leader for the Kenya Strategy Support Program and a Senior Research Fellow in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI). Michael Keenan is Associate Research Fellow and Juneweenex Mbuthia is a Research Officer in the Development Strategies and Governance Unit, IFPRI. Jemimah Njuki is Chief, Economic Empowerment, UN Women and former Director for Africa, IFPRI.

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The International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI) provides research-based policy solutions to sustainably reduce poverty and end hunger and malnutrition. IFPRI’s strategic research aims to identify and analyze alternative international and country-led strategies and policies for meeting food and nutrition needs in low- and middle-income countries, with particular emphasis on poor and vulnerable groups in those countries, gender equity, and sustainability. It is a research center of CGIAR, a worldwide partnership engaged in agricultural research for development. www.ifpri.org 

Media inquiries: Evgeniya Anisimova, e.anisimova@cgiar.org, +1 (202) 627 4394

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DOI

10.2499/9780896294561 

Tigray authorities warn of looming famine in Ethiopia’s war-scarred north

The authorities in Ethiopia’s war-scarred Tigray region warned Friday of a looming famine linked to drought and the lingering effects of the devastating two-year war in the north of the country.


Issued on: 30/12/2023 -

A file photo showing workers at a water point at an internally displaced person campe near Mekelle Industrial Park in Mekele, the capital of Tigray region, Ethiopia, on June 28, 2021. 

© Yasuyoshi Chiba, AFP

By: NEWS WIRES

Getachew Reda, president of the interim regional authority in Tigray, said more than 91 percent of the population was “exposed to the risk of starvation and death” and called for the Ethiopian government and international community to help.

In a statement posted on X, formerly known as Twitter, Getachew likened the situation to the Ethiopian famine in the 1980s which cost the lives of around one million people.

“Since the signing of the Pretoria agreement, thousands of Tigrayans have perished due to lack of food,” Getachew said, referring to the November 2022 peace deal that ended the war between Tigrayan rebels and Ethiopian government forces.

The situation on the ground in northern Ethiopia cannot be independently verified as media access to Tigray is restricted by the federal government.

Getachew said Tigray’s interim administration had declared a disaster emergency in areas under its control but had limited resources to handle the crisis.

“The Ethiopian government and the international community have done their part to silence the guns. Now they should do their part to address the looming humanitarian catastrophe,” he said.

Getachew highlighted the devastating consequences of the conflict including economic crisis, mass displacement and destruction of health facilities, combined with the shortage of seasonal rains followed by destructive rainfall, as well as locust invasions.

He said the temporary suspension of aid earlier this year by the United States and the UN’s World Food Programme (WFP) had also played a role in the crisis.

USAID and the WFP halted all food aid to Ethiopia in June, alleging a “widespread and coordinated” campaign to divert donated supplies, but deliveries are slowly resuming.

“Although aid has since been restored on a limited basis, the amount of aid reaching the needy is a fraction of what is necessary to meet current requirements,” Getachew said.

In a statement published on December 22, the UN’s humanitarian response agency OCHA said: “The drought situation is worsening in some parts of northern, southern, and southeastern Ethiopia and is expected to deteriorate further unless aid is urgently scaled up.”

It said the food security situation covering the October 2023-May 2024 period in Tigray is likely to deteriorate, while some populations, particularly those displaced, will experience severe food insecurity according to the global Famine Early Warning Systems Network.

(AFP)

Philadelphia journalist who advocated for homeless and LGBTQ+ communities shot and killed at home

MARYCLAIRE DALE
Mon, October 2, 2023 

Josh Kruger, left, then the Communications Director, the Office of Homeless Services at City of Philadelphia, at a tent encampment in Philadelphia, on Jan. 6, 2020. The journalist and advocate who rose from homelessness and addiction to serve as a spokesperson for Philadelphia's most vulnerable was shot and killed at his home early Monday, Oct. 2, 2023 police said. 

(Jessica Griffin/The Philadelphia Inquirer via AP) (ASSOCIATED PRESS)More

PHILADELPHIA (AP) — A journalist and advocate who rose from homelessness and addiction to serve as a spokesperson for Philadelphia's most vulnerable was shot and killed at his home early Monday, police said.

Josh Kruger, 39, was shot seven times at about 1:30 a.m. and collapsed in the street after seeking help, police said. He was pronounced dead at a hospital a short time later. Police believe the door to his Point Breeze home was unlocked or the shooter knew how to get in, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. No arrests have been made and no weapons have been recovered, they said.

Authorities haven't spoken publicly about the circumstances surrounding the killing.

“Josh cared deeply about our city and its residents, which was evident both in his public service and in his writing. His intelligence, creativity, passion, and wit shone bright in everything that he did — and his light was dimmed much too soon,” Mayor Jim Kenney said in a statement.

Kruger handled social media for the mayor and communications for the Office of Homeless Services from about 2016 to 2021. He left city government to focus on writing projects for news outlets and progressive causes.

He wrote at various times for Philadelphia Weekly, Philadelphia City Paper, The Philadelphia Inquirer and other publications, earning awards for his poignant and often humorous style.

On his website, he described himself as a “militant bicyclist” and "a proponent of the singular they, the Oxford comma, and pre-Elon Twitter.“

In a statement Monday, District Attorney Larry Krasner praised Kruger's contributions to the city.

“As an openly queer writer who wrote about his own journey surviving substance use disorder and homelessness, ... Josh Kruger lifted up the most vulnerable and stigmatized people in our communities — particularly unhoused people living with addiction,” Krasner said. “Josh deserved to write the ending of his personal story.”

Philadelphia journalist shot dead by home invader
Holly Hales
Mon, October 2, 2023 

Philadelphia journalist shot dead by home invader

A Philadelphia journalist has been shot and killed in a home invasion.

Josh Kruger, 39, died after he was shot multiple times by an armed home invador who opened fire just before 1.30 a.m on Monday, according to police.

Emergency services rushed to the scene in the city’s Point Breeze neighborhood after reports of gunshots and screams.

Mr Kruger was found collapsed in the street on the 2300 block of Watkins Street with multiple gunshot wounds, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer.

He was brought by ambulance to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center but died at 2.15am.

Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said no arrests have been made and any possible motive remains unclear.

“Either the door was open, or the offender knew how to get the door open,” he told reporters.

“We just don’t know yet.” 

Josh Kruger was remembered for having 'shone bright in everything that he did’ (joshkruger.com)

Mr Kruger had worked for the city of Philadelphia for more than five years, primarily within communication and social media teams.

Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney paid tribute to him in an emotional statement.

“Josh cared deeply about our city and its residents, which was evident both in his public service and in his writing,” Mr Kenney said.

“His intelligence, creativity, passion, and wit shone bright in everything that he did — and his light was dimmed much too soon.”

In addition to his communications work, Mr Kruger wrote freelance articles about issues impacting the city’s LGBT+ community.


Philadelphia journalist fatally shot in his home
Mirna Alsharif and Brittany Kubicko and George Solis
Mon, October 2, 2023 


A Philadelphia journalist and community advocate was fatally shot inside his home overnight, according to police.

Police were notified of a shooting at Josh Kruger's home in the 2300 block of Watkins Street at 1:28 a.m. Monday.

Kruger, 39, sustained seven gunshot wounds to the chest and abdomen. He was taken to a local hospital where he was pronounced dead at 2:13 a.m.

No arrests have been made, and a motive is still under investigation, police said.

Kruger was known in the Philadelphia community as a social justice advocate and a longtime journalist, writing for news outlets such as The Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Citizen. He also worked for Mayor Jim Kenney's administration as a spokesperson for the Office of Homeless Services.

In a statement, Kenney said he was "shocked and saddened" by Kruger's death.

"Josh cared deeply about our city and its residents, which was evident both in his public service and in his writing," Kenney said in a statement shared with NBC News on Monday. "His intelligence, creativity, passion, and wit shone bright in everything that he did — and his light was dimmed much too soon."

As a community advocate, Kruger focused on uplifting the community's most vulnerable, including those experiencing homelessness, addiction and members of the LGBTQ+ community, according to District Attorney Larry Krasner's office.

"As an openly queer writer who wrote about his own journey surviving substance use disorder and homelessness, it was encouraging to see Josh join the Kenney administration as a spokesperson for the Office of Homeless Services," Krasner said in a statement. "Josh deserved to write the ending of his personal story."

"As with all homicides, we will be in close contact with the Philadelphia Police as they work to identify the person or persons responsible so that they can be held to account in a court of law," he said.

The investigation into Kruger's death is ongoing.

Philadelphia Journalist Who Shined Light on Marginalized Communities Is Fatally Shot in Home
Christine Pelisek
Mon, October 2, 2023 

Josh Kruger was shot seven times in the chest and abdomen

Josh Kruger/XJosh Kruger

A Philadelphia journalist was fatally shot inside his home Sunday.

Police said Josh Kruger, 39, was shot seven times in the chest and abdomen around 1:30 a.m. inside his home on the 2300 block of Watkins Street in the Point Breeze neighborhood.

Kruger was transported to Presbyterian Hospital where he died at 2:13 a.m..

Deputy Police Commissioner Frank Vanore said there were no signs of forced entry.

“Either the door was open, or the offender knew how to get the door open,” he said, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported. “We just don’t know yet.”

Vanore said that after he was shot, Kruger ran outside for help, according to the Inquirer.

No arrests have been made, police said. Police found no weapon at the scene.

On his website, Kruger described himself as a “writer and communications expert known for weaving his unique lived experience with homelessness, HIV, Philadelphia’s ‘street economy,’ trauma, and poverty throughout his poverty and writing.”

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According to the website, Kruger had previously worked as a spokesperson for City Hall before “returning to journalism in 2021.”

“His writing has spurred government into action and shed light on communities and issues sometimes overlooked by traditional media,” the website states.

He also was a "militant bicyclist, Anglo-Catholic Episcopalian and parishioner at St. Mark’s Church on Locust Street, and lives with his best friend, his senior cat with one tooth named Mason,” the website states.

In a statement, Mayor Jim Kenney said he was "shocked and saddened" by Kruger’s death. "He cared deeply about our city and its residents, which was evident in his public service and writing," Kenney said. "Our administration was fortunate to call him a colleague, and our prayers are with everyone who knew him."

District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement Monday that Kruger “lifted up the most vulnerable and stigmatized people in our communities – particularly unhoused people living with addiction.”

“Many of us knew Josh Kruger as a comrade who never stopped advocating for queer Philadelphians living on the margins of society,” the District Attorney’s LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee said in a statement Monday. “His struggles mirrored so many of ours — from community rejection, to homelessness, to addiction, to living with HIV, to poverty — and his recovery, survival, and successes showed what’s possible when politicians and elected leaders reject bigotry and work affirmatively to uplift all people. Even while Josh worked for the Mayor, he never stopped speaking out against police violence, politicized attacks on trans and queer people, or the societal discarding of homeless and addicted Philadelphians.

Philadelphia journalist shot and killed in his home; no arrests made
MARK OSBORNE
Mon, October 2, 2023 

Philadelphia journalist shot and killed in his home; no arrests made

Josh Kruger, a freelance journalist and former city employee, was shot and killed in his home early Monday, according to local officials.

Police responded to his home at about 1:30 a.m. and found Kruger shot seven times in the chest and abdomen. He was taken to Penn Presbyterian Medical Center, where he was pronounced dead, police said.

Kruger, who lived in the city's Grays Ferry neighborhood, was currently working as a freelance reporter, but was previously employed by the Philadelphia City Paper and Philadelphia Weekly. He had recent freelance bylines in the Philadelphia Inquirer and The Philadelphia Citizen.

There have been no arrests in the shooting, police said. No weapon has been recovered.

"Josh deserved to write the ending of his personal story," District Attorney Larry Krasner said in a statement. "As with all homicides, we will be in close contact with the Philadelphia Police as they work to identify the person or persons responsible so that they can be held to account in a court of law. I extend my deepest condolences to Josh’s loved ones and to all those mourning this loss."

Kruger was openly queer, according to the district attorney, and often wrote about LGBTQ+ topics, as well as drug abuse and homelessness.

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"Many of us knew Josh Kruger as a comrade who never stopped advocating for queer Philadelphians living on the margins of society," the district attorney's LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee added in a statement. "His struggles mirrored so many of ours -- from community rejection, to homelessness, to addiction, to living with HIV, to poverty -- and his recovery, survival, and successes showed what’s possible when politicians and elected leaders reject bigotry and work affirmatively to uplift all people."

Kruger also previously worked in communications for the city, first in the mayor's office and then for the Office of Homeless Services and Department of Health.

"Shocked and saddened by Josh Kruger’s death," Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter. "He cared deeply about our city and its residents, which was evident in his public service and writing."

He added, "Our administration was fortunate to call him a colleague, and our prayers are with everyone who knew him."

On his website, Kruger wrote he was an avid cyclist and lived "with his best friend, his senior cat with one tooth named Mason."

ABC News' Matt Foster contributed to this report.

Philadelphia journalist shot and killed in his home; no arrests made originally appeared on abcnews.go.com