DeFoliart started his insects-as-food work back in 1974 and has been the leading researcher on the topic ever since, taking his work beyond academia in effort to promote a change in attitude in the Western World.
Furthermore, DeFoliart believed in open-access research and was publishing his latest book for free on his personal website. Although he was unable to finish the project, his bibliographic account remains one of the most comprehensive sources on the use of insects as food by people across the world.