Cricket: a great source of food in the future

Vietnamese people know how to enjoy crickets for a long time, but mainly from natural sources. Raising crickets for food processing has recently developed, but small in size. Those who look far away are looking at this livestock industry as a sustainable way to provide human protein.

Terreform, a non-profit urban design and architecture organization, is working on a project to update a technology that has been in place for several hundred years: shelter. The design of this organization has surpassed the level of purely providing shelter for objects. It is also a modular environment for a source of food that people can harvest: crickets.

'We don't think you just need a place to stay,' said Terroform's Mitchell Joachim. 'You are now in need of a sustainable level of food and farming, to be able to provide protein for your family, especially after a major disaster'.

Cricket - a source of food protein in the future.(Photo: TL).

But why crickets? Yes, it would be easier to keep crickets as a protein source during the crisis than to raise cattle. But raising crickets for food is not just about saving - that's what some organizations and companies are looking at as looking forward.

One of the simple reasons is that the world population is increasing - and that means increasing demand for meat, fish and other proteins. But consuming more meat is expensive and can be harmful to the environment, according to a 2013 report by the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization. The report also promotes increased consumption of insect proteins as a sustainable alternative.

Insects are used by billions of people around the world, but often as a snack - and insects simply catch in the wild instead of raising them. As a result, the environment itself is small - but growing.

According to a report by Global Market Insights, the market is worth about $ 33 million worldwide in 2015, but the report suggests that the US market alone may exceed $ 50 million by 2023. There are numerous Startups are seeking to enter the market of edible insects. Exo, for example, makes protein bars from crickets. And Aspire Food Group with founders named in 2016 Forbes U30 list, processing crickets protein into flour and snacks sold in stores like Whole Foods.

Of course - there's a race in the edible insect business. Americans don't really eat bugs. Although this is relatively common in the world. But startups and supporters think their history sees the taste change.

Another obstacle is cost. Although crickets are more effective in exploiting proteins for humans than chickens and cows, cricket industry is still in its infancy.'Protein products from crickets are very expensive, because the most expensive component is protein. That's not normal, because the input is less expensive. So what? Yes, this industry has only been developing for a few years now. We don't have hundreds of years of experience , 'said Mohammed Ashour. 'But there are technologies that help us jump'.