Food and Agriculture Organization released a hefty report that concluded: “The consumption of insects … contributes positively to the environment and to health and livelihoods.”Ĭompared with cattle, cultivated insects emit far fewer greenhouse gases, require less water, can be grown in a smaller space, can eat foods like vegetable scraps that would otherwise be considered waste, and can grow more protein from less feed, according to the report. He received a measure of validation the following year, when the U.N. “It was definitely blowing people’s minds.” “No one was doing anything like it,” he said. After a successful Kickstarter campaign, the first batch of Chapul bars hit the market in 2012. So he toasted the critters and ground them up, mixing the resulting powder with fruit, nuts and chocolate into a familiar energy bar.
The health and environmental benefits were clear.īut Crowley didn’t think mainstream Americans were ready to eat cricket legs or wings. When he heard a TED talk about the benefits of edible insects, he latched onto it as a possible solution. With so much of the region’s water going to agriculture, it was clear to Crowley: “We need some large-scale changes to our food supply if we want to have enough water in the future.” In 2011, Pat Crowley, one of the company’s founders, had finished his training in hydrology and was working on long-term water planning for the Western U.S. It started in earnest with Chapul, an energy bar company that makes its product with cricket powder. “I probably get an email a day asking about it,” Spence said.Īlthough 2 billion people around the world consider insects a dietary staple, they’ve been in the American food supply for just a few years. And despite the obvious “yuck” factor, the demand to eat them is growing. Their flavor, when toasted, is often described as being nutty and crispy, akin to roasted pecans or fried pork rinds.
Each tray teems with thousands of insects nestled in a bed of whole wheat bran, which they eat, and fresh baby carrots, which they nibble on for water. At its complex of small houses, millions of beetles - in all life stages from larvae to adults - live in trays stacked on 8-foot-tall racks that look like they belong in a bakery. These and other insects are also considered an environmentally friendly source of protein because they can be raised on a fraction of the land and water required for traditional livestock, like cattle.
Plus, they have less fat and cholesterol than beef. Mealworms and superworms are rich in protein, amino acids and vitamins and minerals like potassium and iron.
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