Crickets for Food? Bugs Show Protein Potential

Aaron T. Dossey (Courtesy of Growing Georgia) Aaron T. Dossey (Courtesy of Growing Georgia)

By Allison Floyd
Monday, November 10th, 2014

Aaron Dossey thinks crickets might be the next big product for farmers, a drought tolerant crop that could be a valuable food source one day.

Dossey and a handful of other researchers around the world are working to refine the process to dry and pulverize crickets into a powder that can be used as a food supplement for health conscious consumers or malnourished children in parts of the world that can’t support livestock production.

Incorporating bugs into food (rather than trying to keep them out) isn’t as far-fetched as it sounds.

“One of the largest food manufacturers in the world bought 100 pounds (of Dossey’s cricket powder) and is working with it,” he said. Cricket powder appeared as an ingredient on the Food Network show “Chopped,” and a group of Harvard researchers are using it to create a tortilla chip. Dossey’s powder has been included in bars made by Exo (which is available on JetBlue flights) and Chapul, a company featured on the show “Shark Tank.”

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