Cricket pasta and worm burgers conquer the plates

Grasshopper skewers for dinner?

For most Europeans, eating insects is taboo. Yet there are many reasons why they should rethink, because the creepy-crawlies could be an important sustainable source of protein in the future.  

What is taken for granted by an estimated 2 billion people in Asia, Latin America and Africa still arouses reluctance among many Europeans: In these countries, eating insects is a challenge for most consumers, that’s if they do not reject it completely. Yet many nutrition experts consider locusts, mealworms and buffalo worms to be the sustainable protein sources of the future. They can be produced in an environmentally friendly way, without using large amounts of resources, and can easily compete with milk, beef or fish in terms of protein content. Insects provide the body with omega 3 and 6 fatty acids, trace elements and minerals such as magnesium and phosphorus. They also contain vitamins B2 and B12 and all essential amino acids.

Sale is strictly regulated
There are about 2,000 edible insect species worldwide. Since 2021, two have been approved as "novel foods" in the European Union: the mealworm and the European migratory locust. The cricket, buffalo worm, short-winged cricket, honey bee drone brood and black soldier fly larva may also be sold in the EU on a temporary basis until final approval is granted.
 
However, no one need be afraid of suddenly being served worms or larvae as a fresh crunchy side dish in a restaurant. In Europe, insects are usually ground up and added to products such as burger patties, pasta and protein bars or as dried snacks. The law regulates the proportions permitted in processed products: biscuits, for example, may contain a maximum of ten grams of mealworm meal per 100 grams of weight.

Low CO2 emissions during production
The production of 100 grams of a ready-to-eat insect-based product produces about 0.15 kilograms of CO2 equivalents. That is three times less than the same amount of poultry meat and 20 times less than beef. What's more, insects require less space and feed than other farm animals. As cold-blooded animals, they do not need energy to generate heat and can utilise nutrients better.

The niche is still small and the reservations about eating insects are still great. However, not just the growing number of producers, but also the World Health Organisation (WHO) is optimistic that insects will soon contribute to more sustainable protein production in Europe as well. The widespred taboo that exists, especially in the West, is not that old: the ancient Greeks and Romans liked to serve fat larvae at their feasts - Aristotle himself wrote recipes for the preparation of cicadas. May beetles were even eaten in Germany, Luxembourg and France until the 20th century. So why not put an insect burger on the snack menu? It doesn't have to be a grasshopper on a spit ...