Last year, the Biden administration’s Department of Agriculture awarded $131,500 in grants to a company that makes cricket protein powder made for human consumption. Daily Caller News Foundation report.
In July 2023, Grant was awarded to mighty cricket It will fund a St. Louis-based cricket farm, where “food waste” in landfills will be fed with insect food.
The research will address “the need for more cost-effective production of crickets as a sustainable protein source,” according to the grant summary. It has been pointed out that the cost of cricket protein is more than twice that of other proteins. It proposed an alternative, citing a “lack of innovation and economies of scale.”
“Unlike the beef, pork, chicken, and soybean industries, little innovation has been invested in cricket farming,” the brief states. “The majority of the world’s production takes place in Thailand, where goods are generally produced by hand rather than automation.”
They argued that labor, electricity and feed costs were driving up the cost of cricket protein. The study aims to address feed costs and “the need to recover food waste and divert some food waste from landfills in the United States.”
“The problem of food waste is serious,” he continued. “According to the Department of Agriculture, food waste is estimated to be 30 to 40 percent of the food supply in the United States.”
The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Economic Research Service found that approximately 133 billion pounds of food, or $161 billion worth of food, was lost at the retail and consumer level in 2010. According to the Department of Agriculture, food waste makes up about 22% of municipal landfill waste.
Mighty Cricket believes it can use this food waste as a “huge opportunity” to feed insects “at a lower cost than what is available on the market” and pass those savings on to consumers of its cricket protein. ing.
The grant summary argues that other protein sources “place significant strain on ecosystems and require unsustainable amounts of water, land, and feed as inputs.”
“Furthermore, protein from animal sources is also an important source of greenhouse gas emissions, estimated at 14.5% of total greenhouse gas emissions,” the group claimed.
Mighty Cricket believes the food production industry needs to “dramatically shift towards resource conservation” to keep up with population growth. The United Nations “recognizes edible insects as a viable alternative for food production and feed security.”
As part of the proposed study, the company “will collect data on how cricket feed produced from waste performs compared to standard feed on the market.”
“Project success will be measured by feed cost reduction, cricket growth, and mortality goals.” Ultimately, the company hopes to reduce production costs and the environmental footprint of the U.S. food system. The grant summary concludes.
of Columbia, Missouri Mighty Cricket reported processing at least 800 crickets a day. The company’s website says it sells protein powders in cricket flour, oatmeal, vanilla and chocolate flavors. Its products do not contain soy, eggs, dairy, gluten or peanuts.
Neither USDA nor Mighty Cricket responded to DCNF’s requests for comment.
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