Posted on 02/21/2024 8:01:00 AM PST by Twotone
The Biden administration’s Department of Agriculture awarded a $131,500 grant last year to a firm that makes cricket protein powder made for human consumption, the Daily Caller News Foundation reported.
In July 2023, the grant was awarded to Mighty Cricket to fund a St. Louis-based cricket farm, where the insects would be fed landfill “food waste.”
According to the grant’s summary, the research would address “the need for more cost-efficient production of crickets as a sustainable protein source.” It notes that the cost of cricket protein is more than twice the amount of other protein alternatives, citing a “lack of innovation and economies of scale.”
“Unlike the beef, pork, poultry, and soy industries, there has been very little innovation invested into farming crickets,” the summary stated. “Most of the global production occurs in Thailand, where goods are generally produced via manual labor versus automation.”
It claimed that manual labor costs, electricity, and feed are driving up the cost of cricket protein. The research aims to address feed costs and “the need to recapture food waste in the U.S., diverting a portion of food waste from landfills.”
“The problem of food waste is significant,” it continued. “According to the USDA, in the United States, food waste is estimated at between 30-40 percent of the food supply.”
The agency’s Economic Research Service found approximately 133 billion pounds, or $161 billion worth of food, was lost at the retail and consumer levels in 2010. Food waste makes up roughly 22% of municipal landfill waste, according to the USDA.
Mighty Cricket believes it could use this food waste as a “huge opportunity” to feed insects “at lower cost than what is available on the market” and then pass those savings along to consumers of its cricket protein.
The grant summary argued that other protein sources pose a “substantial strain on the ecosystem, requiring unsustainable quantities of water, land, and feed as inputs.”
“Furthermore, animal based proteins are also a significant source of greenhouse gas emissions, estimated at 14.5% of all greenhouse gas emissions,” it claimed.
To keep up with population growth, Mighty Cricket believes the food production industry needs to “dramatically shift towards resource conservation.” It noted that the United Nations “recognizes edible insects as a viable alternative to producing food and feed security.”
As part of the proposed research, the company “will collect data on how the cricket feed produced from waste performs compares to standard feed on the market.”
“The success of the project will be measured on the following objectives: Cost savings of the feed, cricket growth, and mortality rates. Ultimately, the company hopes to lower production costs and the environmental footprint of the U.S. food system,” the grant summary concluded.
The Columbia Missourian reported that Mighty Cricket processes at least 800 crickets per day. According to the company’s website, it sells cricket flour, oatmeal, and vanilla- and chocolate-flavored protein powders. Its products are soy-, eggs-, dairy-, gluten-, and peanut-free.
Neither the USDA nor Mighty Cricket responded to the DCNF’s request for comment.
They should study the “Gag Reflex” ,LOL
That’s their plan for us. Bugs.
New meaning for GIGO.
dung beetles
the complete solution
just need to work on the name
#FJB
Soylent Brown?
I was doing this back in the 50’s raising fish bait.
33 billion pounds, or $161 billion worth of food, was lost at the retail and consumer levels in 2010
Not from this kitchen. The budget doesn't allow for it. Every edible morsel gets eaten. Nothing is left to rot in the fridge. Bones and veg skins are turned into broth. Citrus is zested. Egg shells are ground into human calcium supplement or composted.
Have to agree with the exorbitant food waste in the US. Reports are 40% of our food ends up in landfills. Take a look at dumpster diving videos.
This is the future our overlords have planned for USA and the world. Stolen elections have consequences.
Reducing landfill waste is a good thing. America wastes millions of tons of food every year that just sits in landfills taking up valuable space and generating toxic leachate liquids that must be contained forever. Black soldier fly larvae are a better choice for clean up duty. They are 60% protein by weight and make near perfect chicken feed, hog feed or fish feed all three have successful been raised on BSF larvae based feeds to market size. Taking 40% of the food supply that just becomes a waste liability stream and turning it into high quality protein feed is win win. Fish need high protein feeds well above 40% by weight this is normally supplied by strip mining the oceans for fish meal clearly unsuitable for long-term ocean health. BSF contain all 9 amino acids and 60+% by weight a more perfect fish food has not been made there is a reason wild trout go nuts during the “bug season” in Canada and Alaska climates.
Fish also convert in a near one to one ratio feed to fish mass highest of all the vertebrates. Avians are two to one and pigs are way down at four or three to one. Cows are ten to one but they can eat grass mass which monogastric animals cannot so feed conversion is moot if it’s grass feed cows only corn fed cows at six to one or more matters from a food supply view point. Cows should never be feed grain to begin with they evolved to eat grasses and should be feed such.
“there has been very little innovation invested into farming crickets,”
And why should tax dollars go in to farming crickets???
If there is a market, good. Let them fund it. I could see enterprising chicken farmers growing crickets for chicken feed. BUT, we all know this ain’t about growing insects to feed livestock. It’s about our social overlords laughing at we peasants as they force us to eat bugs as they eat a juicy steak.
“It’s about our social overlords laughing at we peasants as they force us to eat bugs as they eat a juicy steak”
This^^^^^
As long as Texans have guns we can always hunt for hogs ,deer or wild goats we will only eat certain bugs ..from our neighbors to the East mudbugs are a good time and good eats and from our neighbors to the South grasshopper tacos are extremely popular in South Texas all the way up to Austin. Whole foods an Austin based high end grocery sells a half dozen kinds of cricket snacks and things the BBQ flavored ones were on sale I bought a bag they were pretty good similar to locusts that Africans chow down on or grasshoppers to the south. Crunchy they take the flavor of the spice coating with a slight shrimp like taste at most.
I have been to Africa ,South Americans and Asia every one of those cultures eats all kinds of insect proteins some are quite tasty and similar to seafood, the French do too love me some snails technically gastropod like squids.I have also had bats, and all manner of mammals from feline to canines to bush meat. I’d try human for sure if we weren’t loaded with heavy metals and bioaccumulated PCBs and forever chemicals. If you are the apex predator be the apex species.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.