Are Insects the Future of Sustainable Protein?

The buzz is hard to ignore: insect-based foods like cricket flour, mealworm burgers, and grasshopper snacks are hitting shelves worldwide. But does the science back the hype? Are insects truly the future of sustainable protein, or are we looking at yet another fleeting food trend? Let's get into it.

Why Insects Are Hailed as the Future of Protein

Insects are small but mighty when it comes to their nutritional and environmental potential. Here’s why they’re often hailed as the future of food:

Nutritional Powerhouses

Insects are rich in protein, essential amino acids, vitamins, and minerals. For instance, crickets are about 60-70% protein by weight and contain beneficial nutrients like iron, zinc, and vitamin B12, making them a solid contender for high-quality protein alternatives.

Environmental Efficiency

Compared to traditional livestock, insects require significantly fewer resources. According to Our World in Data, crickets and mealworms produce fewer greenhouse gas emissions and need far less water and land than cattle, pigs, and poultry. They’re also incredibly efficient at converting feed into protein.

For example:

• 1 kg of beef requires around 25 kg of feed, whereas
• 1 kg of crickets requires just 1.7 kg of feed.
  

Rapid Growth and Adaptability

Insects reproduce quickly and can be farmed in compact spaces, reducing the land footprint. This scalability has piqued the interest of food tech companies looking for future-proof protein sources.

In short, the potential benefits of insects sound impressive—on paper. But are there hidden hurdles that might keep crickets and mealworms from becoming dinner table staples?

The Hurdles to Scaling Insect Protein

Despite the hype, there are significant barriers to making insect protein a mainstream solution.

The “Ick” Factor

In many Western cultures, eating insects still triggers an averse response. While over 2 billion people worldwide already consume insects as part of their regular diet, changing cultural perceptions in Europe and North America is no small feat.

Production Challenges

Scaling insect farming isn’t as simple as it sounds. Ensuring hygiene, quality control, and consistency in large-scale operations is complex and costly. Unlike traditional farming, the infrastructure for mass-producing edible insects is still in its infancy.

Sustainability Isn’t Guaranteed

While insect farming requires fewer resources, it's not automatically sustainable. The energy used to heat and light insect farms can diminish the environmental benefits, especially if powered by non-renewable sources. The Guardian notes that unless insect farms adopt renewable energy, their carbon footprint might not be as low as promised.

Cost Barriers

Insect-based products remain niche and, therefore, expensive. Cricket flour can cost upwards of $35 per kilogram, compared to just $2 for wheat flour. Until production scales and costs drop, insect protein will struggle to compete with conventional protein sources.

Is the Hype Justified?

So, are insects the future of sustainable protein, or just a passing trend?

The truth is more nuanced. Insect protein has potential, but it’s not the silver bullet that some headlines suggest. When compared to other sustainable protein sources like legumes, soy, and mycoprotein, the environmental edge of insects isn’t always clear-cut.

According to Our World in Data, plant-based proteins like beans, lentils, and tofu often have a lower carbon footprint than insect protein. For example:

• Beans produce 0.56 kg CO₂ equivalent per kg,
• tofu produces 2.0 kg CO₂ equivalent per kg,
• while crickets can produce between 1-5 kg CO₂ equivalent per kg, depending on farming methods.

Where insect protein might really shine is indirect consumption—in animal feed. Using insects to feed poultry, fish, or pigs could make livestock farming more sustainable without asking consumers to change their diets radically.

Conclusion

Insect protein isn’t a gimmick, but it’s not a magic solution either. It’s a promising tool in the broader toolbox of sustainable food solutions. At Klimato, we believe in data-driven, transparent decisions — not jumping on trends for the sake of it.

Ultimately, whether it’s insects, plant-based alternatives, or innovative food tech, the key to a more sustainable future lies in making informed, measurable changes.