On a planet with an ever-growing population only matched by accompanying strain on its natural resources, it’s no wonder why we are looking into new opportunities for food.
When it comes to protein-rich food options, meat has proved to be both inefficient to farm and detrimental to the environment. This has spurred food experts to look harder and think… smaller; could insects be the go-to snack of the future?
Why Insects?
While it may seem like a strange or even disgusting idea, insects already make up a good portion of human diets. In fact, over a billion people in more than 130 countries already include bugs as a regular part of their diets. And while many may raise an eyebrow over having some creepy crawlies alongside their morning coffee, it’s worth remembering that coffee itself once was an alien idea that few would have entertained.
Insects themselves were not arbitrarily picked out of the air. They are incredibly high in protein, with it making up about 70% of their nutritional value while also including healthy nutrients and vitamins like iron, zinc, calcium and amino acids. They are also much cheaper and far more sustainable than meat, making them a very attractive option for environmentalists.
The Nordic Food Lab
René Redzepi is no stranger to the world of culinary adventure. In fact, he is the chef and founder of the two-Michelin star restaurant Noma in Copenhagen, Denmark. Known for his ability to combine traditional Nordic cuisine with exciting reinvention, he is one of the world’s poster children for progressive eating.
During his mission to test his cooking boundaries and experience different flavours across the world, he stumbled onto an ant from the Amazonian Rain Forest and noted that its taste resembled lemongrass. This formed the roots of The Nordic Food Lab, an organization committed to introducing the oddities of the world (blood, insects and more) into our diets.
The research done by the Nordic Food Lab did recognize one major stumbling point… people are disgusted by bugs. Really it shouldn’t be surprising. Bugs and insects are associated with dirt, death and disease, so the idea of chomping into some grub is still a very tall order that most people would rather forgo, regardless of the environmental benefits.
The solution that they arrived at is turning crickets into flour, and they were not the only company to embrace this result.
Origen Insect Farm
The Nordic Food Lab aren’t the only pioneers in the world of culinary insects. In the vast plains of Castilla-La Mancha, in central Spain, there is a cricket farm that intends to get people dining on their 6-legged critters.
The Origen Insect Farm was started by three childhood friends looking to build a business that was as sustainable as it was profitable: Andrés García de Lis, Francisco José Tébar and José Antonio Torre. Despite some questionable looks from family and friends over their project, the trio pushed on and invested in the necessary equipment.
“A lot of people have seen the potential in this; others have said we’re mad,”
García de Lis, Origen Farms
“Our families love us very much, but they must also have wondered if we’re mad. But we got the money together,” says García de Lis.
With several systems in place to raise and store the crickets, the Origen Insect Farm has shown just how effectively insects can be farmed.
But their venture has not been without problems. While they have the capacity to produce plenty of crickets for human consumption, due to Spanish law, they are unable to do that themselves. Instead, they are forced to ship their crickets overseas to the Netherlands to be ground into flour.
Getting the World Excited About Bugs
This raises an important question, even if crickets are ready for the world, how ready is the world for crickets?
Despite the clear benefits that introducing insects into our diets can have, there is clearly a lot of resistance to the idea of eating bugs. This is true with both consumers and regulators. With the advent of Brexit, there were some who had hoped that Britain’s ability to fashion their own rules and regulations would mean that the country could be a pioneer for insect-based food, but so far, the country has been hesitant to the idea.
Even among the most open-minded individuals, there is just something difficult to shake when it comes to eating bugs. Emily Anthes of the Guardian had the opportunity to try one of the insect-based meals that many hope with be commonplace in the future. Her conclusion encapsulates the hesitation:
“The mealworm quiche tasted fine, the mealworms had a slightly nutty, toasted flavour, but it still made my stomach turn”
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