There are many reasons why edible insects are a great choice, including:

• High protein content: for example, crickets contain up to 77% complete protein, which is 2 to 3 times more – by weight – than red meat.
• Rich in micronutrients: such as minerals and vitamins, including vitamin B12 – essential for a healthy immune system and brain.
• At the same time, they have a very low environmental impact: raising crickets, for instance, results in a 99% reduction in greenhouse gas emissions compared to cattle farming¹.

Moreover, insects are excellent at converting plant waste into high-quality nutrients. The same applies to food and natural resources; for example, producing 1 kg of beef requires 15,000 liters of water and 200 m² of land, whereas 1 kg of crickets needs only 10 liters of water and 15 m² of land².

¹ FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations); Oonincx et al., 2010 (Greenhouse gases)

² Mekonnen and Hoekstra (2010): Mekonnen and Hoekstra (2010)

According to the FAO, the world population will reach 9 billion by 2050, and with it, meat consumption will double.

The meat industry is currently one of the main contributors to greenhouse gas emissions, producing as much as 14%¹ of global emissions.

The Climate Crisis, which we witness daily, makes it clear that we urgently need to find sustainable alternative protein sources. We need them now!

Insects have a very high content of complete proteins, as well as vitamins and minerals, but require drastically less land, water, feed, and energy compared to traditional protein sources.

Edible insects are the food of the future, but we believe we should start tasting them today!

¹ FAO (Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations)

You might expect them to have a strong flavor, but in reality, insects are very delicate and generally resemble nuts, such as hazelnuts.

Each insect has its own specific taste, which will also depend on the preparation.

In any case:

• crickets, although delicate, have a distinctive umami flavor reminiscent of walnuts;
• Buffalo Worms – the larvae of a small beetle – will remind you of toasted hazelnuts;
• locusts taste like dried porcini mushrooms;
• mealworms taste like popcorn! Try it to believe it!

Introducing a new food into your diet doesn’t mean giving up others, don’t you think?

In fact, if you stop to think about it, not so long ago, even tomatoes, potatoes, cocoa, or lobsters—now all staples of our diet—were not considered appetizing foods; in fact, they were despised!

For example, did you know that until the early 1800s, in the West, lobsters—the rich delicacy that today can cost hundreds of Euros per kilogram—were used as fertilizer or considered food for prisoners and slaves?

Not to mention sushi—do you remember what it was like just a few years ago? And now? It’s as common as eating pizza!

That’s exactly why our mission is to try to open the minds—and stomachs—of us Westerners to this superfood with incredible but still untapped potential, without having to give up other foods that are part of our culinary tradition.

It's true that proteins are also found in plants; in fact, we promote and follow a predominantly plant-based diet ourselves.

But we believe that to tackle the complex challenges of the climate crisis, it's important to consider multiple solutions simultaneously.

The great advantage of edible insects is that they provide complete proteins, meaning they contain all 9 essential amino acids.

Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins, 9 of which—known as essential amino acids—cannot be synthesized by our bodies and must therefore come from the food we eat. Incomplete proteins contain only some of the 9 essential amino acids and tend to be plant-based. This doesn't mean a vegetarian diet isn't healthy, but it does require careful combination of different protein sources to ensure proper nutritional intake.

The main problem with traditional animal proteins, on the other hand, is the environmental impact of livestock farming, the risk of infectious diseases, and the significant ethical issues they raise.

The insect flour we use is certified for human consumption, so the entire supply chain – from farming to processing – is controlled and certified.

Specifically, insect farming for edible consumption, in our case as with all certified producers, involves several stages to ensure the absence of pathogens in the final product. Additionally, each batch is laboratory tested before being released to the market, all following food safety standards (HACCP, GMP, and BRC) to prevent risks.

Starting from December 2021, the common cricket (Acheta Domesticus) has been approved by the European Union for human consumption.

Additionally, Alphitobius diaperinus larvae or Buffalo Worm, locusts, and mealworms have also been approved. Since this is a European regulation, the provisions are automatically adopted in all member states.

And new approvals are on the way!

It's important to understand which products are being compared.

For example, comparing our Mini Crackers to the classic wheat flour crackers from the supermarket isn't accurate, because our Mini Crackers have completely different nutritional properties! Crickets actually contain more complete proteins and vitamin B12 than beef, more calcium than milk, and more omega-3 than salmon, all with a significantly lower environmental impact. Each 80 g pack contains a full 19 grams of protein and costs €2.15. This price is perfectly in line with, if not lower than, a typical protein bar, and our crackers' nutritional values are just as impressive.

Our 100% cricket flour has a protein content of 77% (compared to Buffalo Worm flour's 57%) by weight, so adding just a small amount can greatly increase the protein, vitamin, and mineral content of the recipe you're preparing, ensuring a long shelf life for the product.

In short, price comparisons should be made with similar ingredients, such as spirulina, lupin flour, soy isolate, etc.

The insects we use for our flours are raised partly in the Netherlands (the Buffalo Worms, which have a very short maturation time and tolerate lower temperatures than crickets) and partly in Vietnam (the crickets).

The latter are raised in Vietnam for several reasons. First, because they are part of the local traditional cuisine and there is therefore great expertise in breeding them. Secondly, this means that our money helps support local rural communities and stimulates economic growth in areas that need it.

Moreover, crickets are cold-blooded animals, meaning they need high temperatures to live (ideally 30°C). The climate of Southeast Asia, warm year-round, provides ideal conditions. Raising crickets here—and then transporting them to Europe—has a lower environmental impact than breeding them directly in Europe, since in that case it would be necessary to heat their living environment for at least 4-6 consecutive weeks for each batch, resulting in much higher energy consumption.

It should be noted that this is a controversial topic on which there is not yet unanimous consensus within the scientific community. In fact, to understand whether insects feel pain, it is first necessary to agree on what is meant by pain.

According to the general definition, pain is an experience that includes negative emotions. Pain in this sense is therefore different from the mechanism known as “nociception,” which is the ability to respond to harmful stimuli and is present in all organisms, even bacteria, which can move away from harmful environments, such as high pH.

Nociception is, therefore, a simple reflex response limited to the sensory perception of the harmful stimulus, whereas pain goes beyond this because it is also a conscious emotional experience.

Based on our current understanding of the insect nervous system, which appears to lack the neurological structures responsible for translating negative stimuli—such as injury—into emotional experiences, the likelihood that they feel pain is low.

In our farms, in particular, procedures are in place to ensure optimal conditions for the insects, both during and at the end of the rearing phase. At the latter stage, simply lowering the temperature slightly puts them to sleep (they enter a kind of hibernation called diapause), and they are then euthanized by further lowering the temperature. This process involves a gradual slowing down.

For this reason, we believe that anyone who wants to stay healthy while avoiding the inhumane treatment of animals should also consider insects as a new food source.

All our products are made with insect flour because we believe it is the best way to introduce this superfood to people in the West.

By using flour instead of whole insects, we can ease some of the fear and disgust people associate with eating insects and instead focus solely on the taste, which is delicious!

Specifically, the first product line we developed is Mini Crackers, baked and enriched with 15% cricket flour.

Thanks to this addition, they have a protein content of about 25% and are rich in minerals, fiber, and vitamins like vitamin B12. Other ingredients, such as extra virgin olive oil and wheat flour, give them a unique crunch.

Mini Crackers come in three flavors: Turmeric & Smoked Paprika, Rosemary & Thyme, Tomato & Oregano. They are perfect for those looking for a high-protein, nutritious snack without compromising on sustainability.

The Small Giants family also includes our 100% insect-based flours. Just add a small amount to any recipe, even raw, to make it truly innovative and boost it with an extra dose of protein, vitamins, and minerals. In particular, you’ll find our Buffalo Worm flour with a delicate toasted hazelnut flavor, and of course, cricket flour, which is completely gluten-free and contains an impressive 77% complete protein.

All Small Giants products can be purchased from our online store and are shipped throughout the European Union.

Shipping usually takes 48 hours for Italy, and 2-3 business days for the rest of the EU.

We are also available in various stores and retailers both in Italy and abroad in countries such as Germany, Spain, France, Hungary, and Poland (you can find them all in our highlighted stories on Instagram).

Let's talk about chitin, a fiber found in the exoskeleton of insects. On the internet, there are false claims that chitin is harmful to humans, claims that have no basis in the available scientific literature.

Chitin is one of the most abundant biopolymers in nature and is also found in algae, crustaceans, mollusks, and fungi. To digest chitin, mammals must have a gene called the "CHIA gene," which allows enzymes to break it down into digestible molecules.

A recent study* found that this gene is present in primates, the order of mammals to which humans belong, so it is likely that we are also able to digest chitin.

However, even if we cannot digest it, this does not mean it is harmful. Chitin is comparable to cellulose, which makes up the cell walls of many vegetables, such as celery. The human body cannot digest cellulose, but the insoluble fibers in vegetables still contribute to overall health, especially of our digestive system.

A literature review published in the journal "Journal of Functional Foods" even suggests chitin as a potential food additive, stating that "chitin contains 90.6% of total dietary fiber and can be defined as a functional food component."

Finally, eating insects is not new! Insects have been regularly consumed by humans throughout history, and today more than 2 billion people eat them regularly.

Moreover, the EU continues to approve new insect species for human consumption after thorough testing and evaluation.

So, there is no reason to worry about chitin.

*Evolution of Acidic Mammalian Chitinase Genes (CHIA) Is Related to Body Mass and Insectivory in Primates

Mareike C Janiak 1 2 3, Morgan E Chaney 4 5, Anthony J Tosi 4 5 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29216399/