80+ Edible Insect Products You Can Buy Now

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Hotlix has been around for many years. Until recently, the only other source for edible insects in the U.S. was to buy live insects directly from farms (where they raise bugs for feed, not food). Now, there are a variety of sources and products available. I put together a list of products that are produced in the U.S., Canada or Mexico and available for sale.

Hotlix

Chocolate Covered (4 varieties)

HotLix chocolate

Snacks – Whole insects (6 varieties)

hotlix candy

Candy (4 varieties – multiple flavors)

hotlix lolipop

Suckers (4 varieties – multiple flavors)

hotlix candy

Chapul

Bars (4 flavors)

chapul bars

Cricket Baking Powder

 chapul baking powder

Cricket Powder (pure)

Chapul Protein Powder

Exo

Bars – Classic (5 varieties)

exo classic bars

Bars – Savory (4 varieties)

exo savory bars

Jungle Bar

Bars (1 flavor, multi-pack)

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Hopper

Granola (3 flavors)

Cacao&Cayenne_cropped Crenberry&Almond Toasted+Coconut_cropped

uKa Proteine

Bars (2 flavors)

barre-cerise-the-ukaproteine

Bitty

Cookies (3 flavors)

bitty_3cookie_large

Baking Powder

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SixFoods

Chirps – Chips (3 flavors)

all three

Crickers

Cracker (3 flavors)

IMG_4021_Seasalt_8oz

Entomo Farms (Independent Farm and Processor)

Powders – Pure (4 varieties)

entomo powder

Whole Roasted (5 varieties including meal worms and super worms)

entomo whole roaste

Whole Roasted Seasoned (6 varieties)

entomo whole seasoned

Aspire US (Independent Farm and Processor)

Cricket Powder Pure

IMG_0460

Frozen Raw Crickets

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Whole Dry Crickets

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Cricket Flours

Cricket Powder

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Cricket Oatmeal

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Meal Replacer (crickets, 2 flavors)

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Cricket All Purpose Flour

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Bug Eater Foods

Jump – Cricket Protein Shake (2 flavors)

sampler+isolation

Crik Nutrition

Protein Shake Dy Mix (1 flavor)

Vanilla-Cricket-Protein-Powder-Front

Don Bugito

Seasoned/Chocolate Covered (5 varieties)

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Sal de Gusano

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Almond and Cricket Flour

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Gran Milta

Sal de Gusano (worm salt)

100grams

Sal de Chaplulin (grasshopper salt)

100-Chapulin

EntoVida

Whole sale but available on Ento Market

ento vida

Ento Market

Ento Market has just about all of the above available in one place!

Honorable Mentions

Gryllies

pastajar

Bugsolutely

Bugsolutely-6OK

All Things Bugs – Cricket powder, domestic, whole sale only

Big Cricket Farms

Thinksects – cricket powder from Thailand

Wild Bakery – cricket powder from Thailand

Thailand Unique – They offer variety of imported products

LEAP – North American cricket Powder via Amazon but I could not find their website

Critter Bitter – available for pre-order

What else is out there?

Let us know on twitter!

Cricket Powder Tasting Notes

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Akketa and Cricket Flours were fresh samples and had the most flavor. The flavor and aroma were characteristic of cricket flour. Crustacean/shrimp-like, nutty, beany. All Things Bugs cricket powder was distinct having a mild flavor that was somewhat malty. The sample I have from World Ento is about a year and a half old and was mild in flavor; the flavor profile is characteristic and no other defects.

Samples of cricket powder were evaluated strait up and in water.

Akketta Cricket Flour (Aspire US)      IMG_0460

  • Strong aroma; Crustacean/shrimp-like, cooked beans (legumes like soybean or peas), Earthy
  • Strong flavor; Characteristic crickets flavor, crustacean/shrimp-like, soy nuts, nutty, cooked beans, roasted, earthy, roasted
  • Brown in color and slightly lumpy (likely due to being vacuum packaged)
  • Some coarse particulates visible
  • Recently purchased via direct online
  • Farmed and processed by Aketta in Austin, TX

Cricket Flours Cricket FlourIMG_0458IMG_0457

  • Medium strength aroma; Crustacean/shrimp-like, Fishy, cooked beans (legumes like soybean or peas), Earthy
  • Strong flavor; Characteristic crickets flavor, crustacean/shrimp-like, cooked beans, roasted, earthy, nutty, roasted
  • Dark brown in color
  • Some coarse particulates visible
  • Recently purchased via direct online
  • Crickets are raised in North America
  • Based out of Portland, OR
  • Species- Gryllodes sigillatus


All Things Bugs Milled Cricket PowderIMG_0459 IMG_0455

  • Low aroma; Crustacean/shrimp-like, malty
  • Mild flavor; Crustacean, malty, cooked beans, cocoa,
  • Pale off-white/Taupe in color, very fine powder
  • Chalky texture (The other samples were slightly gritty)
  • Cloudy in solutions (The other samples had particulates sink and float)
  • Sample from August last year (its about 5 months old or more). Opened and stored in ambient conditions.
  • Product of USA
  • Based out of Athens, GA
  • Species – Acheta domesticus

World Ento Pure Cricket PowderIMG_0454

  • Low aroma; Crustacean/shrimp-like, cooked beans (legumes like soybean or peas), Earthy
  • Mild flavor; Characteristic crickets flavor
  • Light brown color
  • Particulates visible
  • Sample is about 18 months old. Opened and stored in ambient conditions.

IMG_0461 2

 

Edible Insect Farming and Processing Questionnaire

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It is important that insect processors and consumer goods companies have information about where there insects come from. I put together a questionnaire to help facilitate a dialog between the insect supplier and customer. It will also serve as a record.

Here is a link to the Word doc: Edible Insect Farming and Processing Questionnaire

 

survey

Edible Insect Farming and Processing Questionnaire

Company

Facility locations

Name

Title

Date

General/Facility

  1. Describe the current Good Manufacturing Process (cGMP) used at the facility
  1. Describe the sanitation procedures
    1. Insect contact surfaces and equipment cleaning
    2. Environmental monitoring
  1. Are the insects clean and wholesome? Explain.
    1. Do they contain any external waste
  1. Are the insects raised specifically for human consumption
  1. What are the technical specifications of the product? Please attach a specification for each requested product.
    1. Protein content
    2. Size
    3. Microbiological
  1. Please attach a pictures of the finished good including packaging and labels
  1. Describe the facility security

Farming

  1. Describe the rearing process
    1. Do you rear insects yourself
  1. Describe the feed.
    1. Feed ingredients
  1. Describe the housing
    1. Size(volume) per housing unit
    2. Surface area per housing unit
    3. Number of crickets per housing unit
  1. Are the insect treated humanely. Explain.
    1. Access to food
    2. Access to water/moisture
    3. Freedom to exercise instinctual behaviors
    4. Cannibalism
    5. Monitoring frequency
  1. Describe how the insects are harvested
    1. How are live insects separated from the remains
    2. Slaughter process
  1. Describe the storage conditions
    1. Packaging
    2. Temperature

Processing

  1. Describe the further processing

 

Let me know if I missed any questions.

Production Costs for 1 Bottle Of Cricket Worcestershire

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Ive broken down the production cost into 3 parts – Food Ingredients, Packaging Costs and Overhead.

I have not executed yet so I might be off on my estimates. The overhead cost is modeled on producing 200 bottles using a commercial kitchen. Im overestimating the time is will take to produce 200 bottles which is really driving up the cost.

Packaging $ Per Bottle
Packaging – bottle 0.33
Packaging – cap/reducer/wrap 0.13
Packaging – label 0.25
Total Packaging Cost 0.71
Food Costs $/lb Usage Extended cost $/lb
Worcestershire Ingredients 2.00 50.0% 1.00
Cricket Broth 1.80 50.0% 0.90
Cricket Worcestershire 1.90
95% Yield 2.00
Labor/Overhead Staff # $/hr bottles/hr $/bottle
Facility Rental 100.00
Labor 2 30.00
Through put 50
Total Overhead Cost 2.60
Total Costs $/Per bottle (5 oz)
Cricket Worcestershire 0.63
Packaging Cost 0.71
Labor/overhead 2.60
Production cost per bottle 3.94

There are a few other costs that need to be taken account for. Im concerned with distribution costs. Who will fulfill orders via direct online sale and how much will it cost to do so?