Crickets Hopping to a Menu Near You

July 17, 2015

Crickets Hopping to a Menu Near You The chirping sounds are incessant, as piles of brown striped six-legged creatures vie for a little space on Canada's largest bug farm. Near Ontario, three brothers are riding the crest of next biggest agricultural wave: bug harvesting. The Goldin brothers run Next Millenium Farms, about two hours north of Ontario. Crickets are one of the more popular edible bugs across the globe. About 80 percent of countries consume bugs regularly, and all varieties of insects are becoming a viable option in the west as costs of farming soar. Crickets, for example, consume 12 times less feed and 13 times less water than cows to yield the same amount of protein. They clearly use much less farmable land. Raising cattle and other large mammals for food uses substantial amounts of water and uses up huge areas of land. Although some of the buzzing critters are shipped off to be eaten in restaurants, the main product manufactured by the brothers Goldin is cricket powder or flour. "Whether it's cookies, or a salad dressing, or vegetarian chili you can add small amounts of the cricket powder," said Darrin Goldin. A little shake of cricket instantly ups the nutritional quality of your meal.