Crickets, live from the table: “This is a solution for the future of the Earth”

There are biscuits, pasta and, in general, powders produced with Tenebrio molitor, a common beetle, as the main ingredient. Just recently, in fact, the European Commission has given, for the first time in its history, a green light to the use of a particular insect, the so-called “flour moth”, in human nutrition.

Meanwhile, an Italian company, Italian Cricket Farm, from Scaleghe, in the province of Turin, is waiting for the use of the common cricket to be approved as well. “We have been established since 2017 and at the time we bred moths and crickets for livestock use or as a pet food only”, explains Ivan Albano, CEO of the company. 

“From a nutritional point of view, insect protein is absolutely comparable to that of beef.” explains Marco Silano, from the Department of Food Safety of the Italian National Institute of Health. “The only safety concern were possible allergies, which for the time being have been excluded but will still be monitored”. 

While insect proteins are comparable to those of other animals from a nutritional point of view, the discourse changes radically with regard to the resources used for their production. 

“For every kilogram of protein produced from cattle, 22 thousand liters of water and 200 square meters of soil are used; on the other hand, 10 liters of water and 15 square meters of soil are used to produce the same amount of insect protein” – explains Albano. “Our intention is not to replace meat with insects, however, in the eco-sustainable future some of the protein we consume will come from insects simply because otherwise there won’t be enough protein for everyone.”

Source: Il Gusto