Things you may want to know
We proudly make insect-based healthy snacks. Our Cricket Cracker Bites are high in sustainable protein and are enriched with 15% cricket flour which massively boosts the protein content. Cricket flour also contains vital micronutrients, such as vitamins, minerals and essential fatty acids. The other main ingredients are wheat flour and extra virgin olive oil, as well as a few more (100% natural) ingredients that give our products a distinctive taste (check out the Nutritional Information tab for each product) .
Crickets are a complete protein source, containing all the essential amino acids – the building blocks of protein that we can only get from food. They have up to 70% protein content which is about two to three times higher than red meat. Compare that to some other traditional source of protein – chicken breast has 31%, salmon 20%, boiled soybean 17%. Crickets are also a source of vitamins, minerals, fatty acids and fibre and so they’re ideal for a balanced diet. Vitamin B12 is fundamental for your immune system to thrive and crickets have more than 100% of your recommended daily intake of Vitamin B12 per serve.
They also contain as much calcium as milk, making them the perfect non-dairy source of calcium. This is what a superfood looks like to me!
There is not a single answer, the topic is delicate and there are different opinions. A very simple answer could be: ‘No’. Vegetarians don’t eat animals, insects are technically animals so vegetarians don’t eat insects. But for those vegetarians who have chosen to avoid meat to reduce their environmental footprint the answer is ‘Yes!’. Bugs are way more sustainable than livestock, so they’re a perfect low-impact alternative to traditional protein.
So, if you dream of a world where 7.6 billion people would become vegans, bugs are not the solution, but if you believe that is simply unrealistic then they should be part of our future. What complicates even further the answer is also that several studies have clearly shown that insects don’t feel pain and that thousands of insects are killed by pesticides used for in agriculture.
Eating insects is nothing new in many parts of the world. The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) estimates that insects are part of the regular diet of roughly two billion people globally. Edible insects have long been a part of Thailand’s traditional cuisine, so it’s not surprising that insect farming is widely spread there. Crickets also need high temperatures (ideally 30°C) to live and Thailand’s climate provides the ideal conditions.
Recent studies have shown that the global warming potential of insects farmed in Thailand (and then transported in Europe) is lower compared to insects farmed in Europe.
We source our cricket powder from a British professional supplier that is the only BRC certified cricket powder supplier worldwide. Its crickets are guaranteed for human consumption and farmed in Thailand. The farming of crickets and all the steps involved in the production take place in a controlled environment in order to obtain the best quality flours. Crickets are used to living in dense conditions, can be farmed vertically, and can be reared on bio-waste transforming it into high-quality protein.
Most of the cricket farms in Thailand are small family-owned businesses This means that sourcing from them you support the rural farming communities and help them to build a more prosperous life for their families.
Type: House Cricket (Acheta Domesticus)
Ideal temperature: 30°C
Lifecycle: 4 weeks in optimal conditions
Diet: mixed (gluten-free) grains and vegetables.
People who are allergic to crustacean shellfish may also be allergic to crickets
There are no known cases of transmission of diseases or parasitoids to humans from the consumption of insects (on the condition that the insects are handled under the same sanitary conditions as any other food). Allergies may occur, however, that are comparable with allergies to crustaceans, which are also invertebrates. Compared to mammals and birds, insects may pose less risk of transmitting zoonotic infections to humans.
Source: FAO