It’s called Entomophagy, and consuming insects as part of a daily diet is common for nearly 2 billion people worldwide. Most of us have seen the novelty suckers and chocolate covered crickets in gas stations and online, but insects offer a tremendous amount of real protein, and a host of other nutritional benefits. And you may be surprised to know that some people, like them. In Madagascar, the sakondry a long-nosed insect related to the cicada, is so tasty it’s been nicknamed the bacon bug…
Aside from the possible solutions insects could provide as nutrition, those who are investing in the future of food believe it could be an answer to food insecurities and have less of an impact on the planet. This is evident as soon as I arrive in Lancaster at the cricket farm.
The farm, might conjure and image of those familiar rolling fields hugged by soft hills in the distance, peppered with cattle and horses. But this farm, is a bit more compact. Just a few feet off the highway is the barn, a double wide utility trailer that has been modified inside to accommodate the particular livestock.
This story began back in October, at the SOAR Summit Meeting in Corbin Ky, when I met TJ Rayhill, the owner of Bluegrass Crickets with a vision for the future of food.
“Growing up, I lived in a single mom household, so I understand the idea of food insecurity, so it was looking at food insecurity as an environmental issue more so than a human welfare issue but because of my background it was deeply personal both ways.” Rayhill told me when we met.
The rapidly changing climate and booming population have us searching for more earth and economic friendly methods of sustainable agriculture. There are certain aspects of insects farming that make it appealing if not appetizing.
“We have to find way to grow food, we can continue to chop down forest to grow food, we can continue to use factory farms to grow food. That stuff obviously increased emissions and decreased ag land, trees things like that that help fight climate change.” TJ points out, “In this space here, we’re in a seventeen hundred square foot double wide trailer. Inside of this space I can raise enough crickets, that protein wise, would be the equivalent of eight or ten beef cattle. How much land do you need for eight to ten beef cattle? That’s eight to ten acres at least.” There’s also the issue of feed, according to the USDA, it takes about 22 pounds of feed to produce just two pounds of beef. To produce two pounds of consumable crickets requires less than four pounds of food.
For all the possible solutions that the consumption of insects may provide, one of the biggest obstacles of getting the western culture on board may be the psychological aspect of it. Devout Entomophagist will encourage you to try something more sophisticated than those gas station suckers if you really want to experience true insect cuisine. The ways they can be consumed is probably more than you would think.
TJ suggest some of his favorite methods, “I’ve cooked quesadillas with crickets, replace the chicken or beef, I’ve baked plenty of baked good using cricket flour. We made granola out of it, and that’s one of our most popular products.”
The hope is that consumers will see the value in insects for human consumption and can come to terms with the idea of eating insects as a part of their daily diets.
Still opposed? If you’re certain you’d never eat crickets, you may have to give up some of your favorite snacks soon. Pepsi, who own Doritos and Lays is among several global food corporations that are exploring the possibility of using cricket flour in their products.
And if you listen to this and discover you might be a little ento-curious you can pick up some of TJ products in stores beginning next year… or follow us at Eastern Standard on Facebook to see photos from my visit and find out which Kentucky restaurant has a secret menu for our adventurous eaters.
For the Full Story Tune Into Eastern Standard On WEKU.
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