Cooking with Crickets: Insects for Human Consumption 

However, insect based foods are expensive and not widely available. You may see ant and scorpion lollipops at your local gift shop, but those are only novelties – and not very nutritious! Even though commercialization of insect foods today is limited, this may not be the case a few years from now because startups such as Ynsect and Sens Foods are looking to change that. 

Which arthropods can people eat?

Insects are part of a larger group of animals known as arthropods. There are hundreds of different arthropod species that humans can eat. In fact, you may already eat one kind of arthropod: crustaceans. Crustaceans, such as crabs and lobsters, are commonly eaten in the United States. Here are some examples of other edible arthropods:

What Does Cricket Consumption Regulation Look Like Around the World?

Regulations regarding crickets vary around the world but are moving towards the acceptance of crickets as a safe food for consumption.

United States (US)
In the United States, the FDA allows for the sale and consumption of insects. Crickets must be bred for human consumption, but criteria are not specified for other insects. The present laws and regulations only apply to the most commonly consumed, Acheta domesticus. Import and export of insects is permitted.  

European Union (EU)

The EFSA currently requires that labels on insect foods include origin and cross-reacting allergens. Edible insects including the house cricket are regulated under novel food legislation. Consumption of house crickets in frozen, fried, or powdered form has been approved and accepted in the EU. These laws apply to all EU members unifying cricket law across member states (Belluco, Halloran, & Ricci, 2017).

Africa (East Africa)
Crickets were recently domesticated and are already widely accepted as valuable protein in many parts of Africa, particularly East Africa. Formal regulation is not as common in this region as it is in Western countries. Since consumption is culturally accepted and not as widely regulated, sustainable alternative protein sources such as crickets have become a staple in Kenya, Uganda, and many other countries in the region (Musungu et al., 2023).

Asia (Singapore)
Singapore's Food Agency (SFA) follows guidelines similar to those in the EU and FDA recommendations. Crickets are recognized as safe for consumption, provided they meet standards for sanitary rearing and processing. In Singapore, regulations address insect farming, hygiene, and potential allergens to ensure cricket products are safe and clearly labeled. Other Southeast Asian countries vary in their regulations, with some encouraging cricket farming as a sustainable protein source (Teo, 2023).

What nutrients are found in crickets?

Crickets: 

• Are rich in protein, about 42-45% 

• They are 23-29% fat 

• Good source of fiber

• High in many vitamins and minerals, including calcium, magnesium, and iron

• Contain many healthy polyunsaturated fatty acids including Omega-6 and Omega-3 

(Köhler et al., 2019). 

How do I start eating crickets?

Here's some recipes to start putting crickets into your diet:

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