These Insects Will Save Us

The global population will reach 9.1 billion people by 2050, so agricultural production worldwide will have to increase by 70% in order to feed the world, according to the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). This presents us with a disheartening outlook on the future because agriculture is one of the biggest drivers of environmental destruction, especially the animal protein industry: 80% of the world’s farmland is used to raise and feed livestock.

Enter Insect Protein. If you are a sustainability-minded person, keep reading!

Grasshoppers, crickets, and mealworms are rich in protein and contain all the essential amino acids. They have significant sources of iron (twice as much as spinach), zinc, copper, and magnesium, vitamin B, and are antioxidants and have anti-diabetic properties. Crickets have 60 lbs of protein for every 30lb of protein in chicken, 15lbs in pork, and 5lbs in beef. They require exponentially less land and water than livestock, and insect farming and processing produce significantly lower greenhouse gas emissions. Farming crickets require 1 gallon of water for every 567n gallons of water for chickens, 800 gallons for pigs, and 2000 gallons for cows. Crickets produce 1% of the greenhouse gasses that cows produce. Not only do insects produce less waste, but their excrement is a great fertilizer. The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has been encouraging people to incorporate insects into their daily diets since 2013 as a sustainable and nutritious alternative to resource-intensive animal protein.

Valala Farms is a farm in Madagascar that is pioneering the widespread consumption of insect protein. They dedicate 25,000 square feet to cricket cultivation and are able to produce 31,000 pounds of powder each year ( 551,000 protein-rich meals). This cricket powder has been an important factor in the fight against malnutrition and famine in Madagascar and serves as an example of the benefits that can come from the widespread use of this protein source. In the 2021 Food Systems Summit, the UN Secretary-General António Guterres’ special envoy Agnes Kalibata stated that farming insects could provide a swift solution to the crises of climate change, biodiversity loss, hunger, and malnutrition.

Entomo Farms is a Canada-based farming company that offers different food products made from crickets. Its mission is to alleviate malnutrition and the climate crisis by making cricket-based foods the first choice for individuals. Their 60,000 square foot barn inhabits around 100 million crickets ranging in stages of maturity. Farming crickets entails being housed in dark and warm condos that mimic the insect’s natural habitat. Crickets are to jump from the feeding station to the feeding station until harvesting time, which comes at the end of their natural life cycle. As environmentalists, Entomo Farms emphasizes the importance of respecting cricket’s life cycles (6 weeks) and allowing them to range free.

Exo is another company that is pioneering food items from crickets. According to its product website, crickets are "the closest thing to a perfect protein source this planet has ever seen. They boast their 99 percent reduction of water usage, greenhouse gasses, and land usage, as well as stressing the health benefits of insects. Most importantly, they are bridging the gap between Western attitudes toward edible insects to successfully expand the global market.

The industry's biggest challenge right now is the lack of sales. Western Anglos like their protein neatly packaged and without clues that the protein came from an actual body, so breaking this mental block will be difficult. Insect protein manufacturers will have to successfully market bugs to consumers by finding something that people would rather be eating, and they have to taste as great as what they are meant to replace. People around the world are already enjoying insects fried or dusted with chili lime or nacho spice, or in powder form with a mild nutty flavor. Cricket powder can be added to smoothies, porridge, vegetarian chili, baked bread, and more. The possibilities are endless. Many manufacturers are customizing insects for Western tastes. Among their many products, Exo sells insect protein chocolate, cookie dough, and peanut butter protein bars. They also sell chocolate chip or fudge cookies, and a variety of powders. All of their products are already widely available: shop here!

The cultural shift has begun among the young and health-conscious environmentalists. We must increase consumer knowledge about edible insects to increase people’s willingness to buy and successfully improve the negative perceptions in some Western countries. There is a very positive outlook, as a report by Barclays estimates that the market for alternative protein sources will be worth $8 billion by 2030.