Fighting Food Insecurity with Crickets
Did you know that by the year 2050, the world’s population is predicted to be around 9 billion? That’s a lot of mouths to feed! Agricultural pressures caused by climate change will only make feeding everyone more challenging. As a socially responsible company, we keep this issue in mind when creating our products. We know that the world needs innovative solutions to solve our quickly approaching global food insecurity crisis, and that’s where crickets come in.
Edible insects may seem like an unlikely way to increase food equity, but even the UN has been exploring the idea as a solution since 2003. Let’s dive into the main reasons why bugs, specifically crickets, are a great way to fight food insecurity.
Crickets are Plentiful
There are crickets in almost every part of the world, making cricket farming a viable option in almost every country. Crickets also reproduce quickly! This makes them an abundant and largely untapped food source, especially in the West.
Crickets are Nutritious
For the malnourished, crickets can provide a variety of much needed nutrients. Crickets are rich in protein, omega 3 fatty acids, fiber, and more. You can read all about the nutritional value of crickets in this blog post.
Crickets are Sustainable
Crickets are one of the most sustainable forms of protein. They take hundreds of times less water and feed to produce when compared to animal protein. On top of that, it releases substantially less carbon emissions. Even plant protein can’t beat crickets from a sustainability perspective. Taken together, this means we can afford to produce a lot more cricket protein without depleting our resources and harming our environment. For more information about the sustainability of cricket protein, check out this post.
Crickets are Versatile
Lastly, crickets can be incorporated into meals in plenty of ways! They can be turned into powder (like in Mighty Cricket products!), ground into paste, pressed into oils, and even eaten whole. The ease of adding crickets to any meal makes them a viable and convenient option for those that are in need of nutritious meals.
Already, 821 million people are undernourished. Mighty Cricket’s mission is to fight food insecurity with awareness, increased acceptance of edible insects, and delicious food. We feel that, in order to be a socially responsible company, we must be cognizant of issues like food insecurity. With crickets, we can offer a healthy, delicious solution to an increasing worldwide problem.
This is why crickets are #smallbutmighty!
Did you know edible insects could fight food insecurity? What do you think is the most important quality that makes crickets a potential solution to our food equity issues? Let us know what you think in the comments!