Unlock the Editor’s Digest for Free: The Rise of Insects as a Protein Source
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Clara Best, a Pepsico insight strategist and a flexitarian, faced a common challenge when she switched to a plant-based diet a few years ago: limited food options. Vegan burgers seemed overly processed, and cooking with traditional alternatives like tofu and tempeh felt overwhelming. Pulses left her feeling bloated. To meet her protein needs, she turned to a unique solution: insects.
Insects still face resistance from Western consumers
Best started by sprinkling crumbled mealworms, the larvae form of beetles, on her granola, pasta, and soup. These mealworms are high in protein and can be purchased from brands like Eat Grub and Crunchy Critters. She later moved on to crickets, which are equally nutritious, especially in terms of protein. Recognizing the health benefits and the growing demand for alternative meat options, Best left Pepsico to develop a line of cricket-infused foods that “facilitate the transition to sustainable eating.” Earlier this year, her company, Saved Food, launched its first product: lentil-flour puff snacks fortified with crickets. Available in flavors such as black pepper and smoked paprika, each 25g pack contains 2g of cricket protein, equivalent to one egg. The puffs are delicious, with the nuttiness of the crickets blending seamlessly with the other flavors. Best considers these puffs an ideal starting point for Western consumers considering crickets as a protein source. She has also quietly expanded her product range to include protein powder, pasta, and cricket-infused meat substitutes.
Nori-flavored Small Crickets snacks © Marcus Harrison via Alamy Stock Photo
Insect proteins, including crickets, present a bold new ingredient on the market. As meat substitutes, they have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with traditional meat by up to 97%. However, there are obstacles to overcome. In addition to the cost (a six-pack of puffs retails at £6.99), there’s also the “yuck factor.” Despite being a staple in Asian and African cuisines for centuries, insects still face resistance from Western consumers.
Insects fall under the broader category of alternative proteins, which are marketed as more sustainable options to meat and dairy. Alt-protein production typically requires less water and land and generates fewer greenhouse gas emissions. However, opinions differ when it comes to health and ethics. Some draw a line between insects and other alternative proteins, arguing that insects are still animals. Best emphasizes that her insects are killed “humanely” through freezing, causing them to lose consciousness without experiencing pain.
Saved Foods cricket and lentil puffs, £6.99 for six packs
Plant-based meat alternatives have faced criticism for being highly processed. Jasmijn de Boo, CEO of ProVeg International, an organization promoting awareness of alternative proteins, believes these characterizations are attempts by the meat and dairy industry to discredit plant-based meat alternatives. De Boo argues that these alternatives are generally nutritionally superior or equivalent and no more processed than comparable meat products. Alt-protein also includes fermented foods, such as tempeh, biomass fermented foods relying on rapid-growth micro-organisms like micro-algae or mycelium, and precision-fermented products where micro-organisms are programmed to produce flavor molecules and fats, among other things.
Crunchy Critters Crickets, £4.98 for two
One alt protein gaining significant attention and venture capital is cultivated meat, also known as “lab-grown” meat, which is produced directly from animal cells. Recent studies suggest that compared to conventional beef, cultivated meat may cause up to 92% less global warming and require 95% less land and 78% less water. The first cultivated burger was unveiled in 2013 by Mark Post of Maastricht University. However, until recently, the only place to taste cultivated meat was Huber’s Butchery and Bistro in Singapore, where regulators approved Eat Just’s cultivated chicken in 2020. Following USDA approval of products by Upside and Good Meat this year (a significant milestone for the industry), cultivated chicken has made its way onto menus at Dominique Crenn’s meat-free Bar Crenn in San Francisco (served fried in a Yucatan-spiced tempura batter) and José Andrés’ China Chilcano in Washington DC (as anticuchos kebabs).
France has banned meat-related terms like ‘steak’ for plant-based products
In the UK, Aleph Farms recently became the first company to seek approval from the UK Food Standards Agency for its cultured beef steaks, a process that could take up to 18 months. However, the untested EU approval process may face challenges from certain member states. France has recently banned meat-related terms like “steak” for plant-based products, while Italy aims to ban all synthetic foods, including flour derived from insects. Hannah Lester, head of regulatory affairs for Paris-based start-up Gourmey, which aims to produce restaurant-grade meats starting with foie gras, anticipates a highly political landscape.
In addition to luxury options like Orbillion Bio’s heritage meats, Magic Caviar’s Beluga caviar, Wildtype’s sushi-grade salmon, and Cultured Decadence’s Maine lobster, there’s even Mission Barns’ ambition to develop “kosher bacon.” If consumers embrace these foods, the results could be sizzling.
@ajesh34
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