Crickets: Pests or Protein?
Many people find the thought of insects disgusting and even more so unthinkable to consume them. But what if I told you millions of people already consume them regularly and insects could be more nutritious, sustainable and more readily available than most other proteins? With an ever growing world population and a continual decline in resources as well as arable land, food insecurity is looming crisis. Our current food production simply isn’t going to be enough and where it stands today is essentially inefficient and in many ways, unethical. Therefore, farmed crickets or other insects may be the protein source of the future. I will explore and explain the current state of the food industry and how farming bugs could be a bright and beneficial future for humans.
Believe it or not, they’re quite good for you. Crickets are 60% more protein by weight and are high in zinc, iron, omega fatty acids and other micro-nutrients. Some insects have as much as 80% protein by weight. This is comparable to most livestock meat consumed today. The practice of entomophagy, practice of eating insects, “featured significantly in the evolution, prehistory, and history of the human diet” (Raubenheimer). Primates consumption of insects provided them with greater energy and a more stable/abundant food source.
Not only are they good for you, they’re great for the environment too. It takes around 22,000 liters of water to produce 1 kilogram of beef, whereas it only requires less than1 liter of water for a kilogram of crickets. That is a significant difference and a better use of resources. Farming crickets is also a more efficient use of land. Today around 70% of arable land goes to meat production (this figure includes the land need to grow feed for the livestock). Only 40% of a cow is edible, whereas for crickets 80% is edible. Insects are also cold-blooded, therefore they “require less energy to maintain their internal body temperature” (IFL Science). Crickets are also far more versatile as they can be farmed in almost an environment or climate. In summary; crickets “require less land, water, feed and energy than more traditional protein sources” (LittleHerds).
Farming crickets is markedly more humane than today’s meat production. Crickets actually “love to be crowded together in the dark”. You can even “stack boxes of these things on top of each other” (Main). This leads to the future utilization of vertical farming. The current meat industry generally fails Brambells Five Freedoms of animals. Cricket farmers most often meet these standards. Many places freeze their crickets rather than boiling them before packaging and distribution. Freezing them has said to make the insect taste better as it does not release stress hormones that would be released if boiled. This is “because insects are exothermic [so] their metabolism slows until they go into a coma-like sleep without any pain” (King).
So what is the problem, why haven’t we made the switch to this amazing food source?
Despite the taboo and ‘fear factor’ associated with consuming insects, around 2 billion people around the globe eat insects regularly. It’s role in peoples diet can range from being a an everyday staple, traditional food or even a delicacy. They are easy to harvest and are of course in great abundance. Moreover, the serving options are nearly endless as there are “over 1,600 insects eaten… by humans”. The most popular ones are crickets,grasshoppers, ants, termites, wasps, caterpillars, beetles, and various kinds of worms and larvae.
Humans have adopted new food source in the past. When sushi was first introduced to the West people were baffled by the idea of eating raw fish. But today, Sushi is widely accepted and is quite enjoyed by many Americans.
While entomophagy is not a common practice here in the States, there are companies and farmers getting started. Surprisingly Austin is “home to the largest edible insect community in the U.S.” (Barclay). Aketta has even set up their farms for production and distribution here in Austin. Unfortunately, I could not get a tour of their farms, but they seem quite similar across the nation. They all require very little land and maintenance.
People care and are shifting
In recent years there has been a dramatic change in awareness and trend towards being more sustainable in food consumption. Schools, businesses, and restaurants are encouraging consumers to only buy what they will eat to reduce food waste. In Houston and Austin there is a restaurant called Dimassi’s Mediterranean Buffet, they are tackling food waste in a very efficient manner. As with many buffets there is often a great deal of food waste as customers typically pile their plates high with various kinds of food. At Dimassi’s, they retain the right to weigh the leftovers on your plate before your leave and charge you per a pound of food that you did not eat. I believe this is a fantastic way to make people more conscious of how much one is consuming and to be held responsible for wasting food.
There has been a “600% increase in people identifying as vegans in the U.S in the last three years” as in 2014 only 1% of citizens identified as being vegan, whereas in 2017 that figure rose to 6% (Loria). People are making concious efforts to be more sustainable when it comes to their daily diets. Now being vegan or vegetarian is not feasible for all nor is entomophagy.
Aspire (parent company of Aketta) is one of the leading companies in the cricket farming industry. Their beginnings are rooted in the Hult Prize competition in 2013. In 2013 the challenge was to address the global food crisis, the issue was selected by former president Bill Clinton. Since winning they have even made ground in West Africa. Consuming weevil larvae is common in West Africa and is a great source of protein in a in an anemia plagued area. This allows there consumption and production of protein in the region to increase dramatically. Even better, they are empowering the local rural farmers by supporting their development of farming larvae locally. This will mitigate some of the food insecurity in the area and eventually provide a stable source of income for the farmers. Insects are extremely resource efficient and very nutritious. Weevil larvae requires 10 times less feed than cattle to produce the same amount of protein. This is critical in a rapid growing and urbanizing planet. Population and city density are on the rise while availability and amount of resources (land, water, food) are diminishing. Moreover, the technology to farm insects is very cheap and cost little to no money at all.
If you find yourself wanting to try crickets or to even farm them on your own, do not be discouraged. Most cricket products are sold online in the US as it has been difficult to get crickets on the shelves of large grocery stores. You can even buy your own insect farm that fits conveniently on a kitchen counter top. Now that is real farm to table!
LIVIN have designed the ‘Hive’, a commercial insect farm for everyone. The insects can live of vegetable scraps (also oats) that would otherwise go to waste. The Hive is all inclusive and automatic in controlling the temperature of the habitat and filtering out waste. With this unit, one can harvest 200–500 grams of mealworms every week. That amount can substitute meat for 4-5 meals.
Of course there a DIY options at home that are more affordable and simple. But that will require more work and monitoring of the climate of the farm; although still very attainable.
Many insect farmers report that their insects are happy and living their best lives. They eat, sleep, mate and repeat. With suitably sized enclosure and food readily available, what more can they ask for. Overall this is true farm to table, no middle man. You control every input and output of the farm.
Luckily for me there is a local grocery store called “in.gredients” that sells crickets, as well as chapulines (grasshoppers), cricket powder and cricket chocolate. Naturally I picked up all four products. The crickets are actually from Aketta’s farm here in Austin. Maintaining the Austin vibe I made tacos with the crickets and chapulines.
I found that both the cricket and chapulines tacos were quite good. I even tried the little guys on their own. Just as many other have said, their taste is quite nutty with a little aftertaste of dirt. They are crunchy and salty. I found that the pre-fried and pre-seasoned chapulines went better with the tacos. My girlfriend preferred the cricket tacos, claimed the seasoning was a little much.
Will I now be eating them as my main source of protein? No. Just isn’t feasible for me now. But I ate them in their most basic form. The versatility of entomophagy is outstanding.
My interview with Robert Nathan Allen (RNA), from LittleHerds, enlightened me to the myriad of uses crickets could provide. Not only are they a viable food source for humans, but also household pets and/or livestock. This could reduce the amount of land use for grain used to feed livestock and other domesticated animals. Additionally, entomophagy could be vital in mitigating problems with food insecurity. In Zimbabwe a recent study proved the worth of entomophagy and now future “food security strategies for Zimbabwe should include management of harvesting and storage of…insects” (Dube). Drying them out gives them a “ prolonged their shelf life” (Dube). This study proved the ease of farming and nutrient efficiency of insects. The practice of entomophagy could be vital in disaster relief. The ability to airdrop a readily available, self-sustaining farm of insects could save countless lives, “edible insects are a natural renewable resource of food providing carbohydrates, proteins, fats, minerals and vitamins” (Gahukar).
Entomophagy’s bright future could extend even further than our blue planet. Insect farming could be a key component in the upcoming mission to Mars. Insect farms provide a quick turnover of protein and require very little to get started. Having enough water and oxygen is already a big concern, but so is having a stable food source. So either the Mars colony relies on a well planned on consistent grocery deliver from Earth, or they grow their own fruits, vegetables and protein; potential insect farm.
Insects could even substitute a portion of traditional protein. For example, 20–40% of a beef burger patty could consist of ground up insects while maintaining majority beef. A popular method today is using the cricket powder in pasta and other flour based products. This deliveries a significant amount of nutrients and steers away from empty carbs. Lastly, cricket frass (droppings; exoskeleton and feces) is being used as a fertilizer. Crickets shed around “eight to 10 times as they grow to maturity” (National Post)
All in all, there is remarkable versatility with farming crickets, and great potential for more. I think entomophagy has huge potential and will realize that potential in the near future. I am very glad I tried crickets and grasshoppers, and am looking forward to trying much more!
Barclay, Eliza. “SXSW Eco, Hub Of Environmental And Foodie Fervor.” NPR, NPR, 11 Oct. 2014, www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2014/10/11/355114047/sxsw-eco-hub-of-environmental-and-foodie-fervor.
Dube, Sahdreck. “A SURVEY ON ENTOMOPHAGY PREVALENCE IN ZIMBABWE.” African Journal of Food, Agriculture, Nutrition & Development, vol. 13, no. 1.
Gahukar, R.t. “Entomophagy and Human Food Security.” International Journal of Tropical Insect Science, vol. 31, no. 03, 2011, pp. 129–144., doi:10.1017/s1742758411000257.
Hive by LIVIN. https://www.livinfarms.com
King, Barbara J. “The Joys And Ethics Of Insect Eating.” NPR, NPR, 3 Apr. 2014, www.npr.org/sections/13.7/2014/04/03/297853835/the-joys-and-ethics-of-insect-eating.
Loria, Joe. “WOW! Veganism in America Has Grown by 600 Percent Since 2014.” Mercy For Animals, 27 June 2017, www.mercyforanimals.org/wow-veganism-in-american-has-grown-by-600.
Main, Douglas. “Why Environmentalists Want Us to All Eat Bugs.” Newsweek, 2 Mar. 2016, www.newsweek.com/why-environmentalists-want-us-all-eat-bugs-276403.
National Post. “Crickets Are a Hot New Source of Protein — but Their Real Value Could Lie in the Poop They Produce.” National Post, 29 Jan. 2017, nationalpost.com/life/crickets-are-a-hot-new-source-of-protein-but-their-real-value-could-lie-in-the-poop-they-produce.
Raubenheimer, David, and Jessica M. Rothman. “Nutritional Ecology of Entomophagy in Humans and Other Primates.” Annual Review of Entomology, vol. 58, no. 1, July 2013, pp. 141–160., doi:10.1146/annurev-ento-120710–100713.
RNA. Robert Nathan Allen. LittleHerds@gmail.com
5Freedoms.https://i.pinimg.com/originals/23/85/85/23858555a7a92c6447ae4a577fd14bd2.jpg
