That is indeed a good question. The climate is changing and our planet is heating up beneath our feet. People are eating more plants and less meat, so why should we start bringing insects onto our plates?

 

Nutrition gone crazy

The nutritional benefits of insects doesn’t only match the nutrition of meat. It beats it. We use powdered buffalo beetles and crickets which contain high amounts of e.g. protein, fibre, B12, iron, calcium, magnesium, Omega-3 etc. Eating insects is like eating wholegrain, fish and beef all at once.

Beetle powder might help save the planet

When you look at every individual’s climate impact, the things we put in our mouths are responsible for a big part of our CO2 footprint. Meat is, as you probably know by now, a big sinner, and because of the nutrients in insects, this is where they get extra interesting. You can actually replace your meat intake with insect bars and crispbread.

The world’s most sustainable food

There’s no food out there that provides such high levels of nutrition using such few resources. The production of 1 kg insect protein uses very little feed and water and emits almost no CO2. The insects are farmed vertically and are partly fed food waste, which means that the insects (and especially their feed) don’t take up very much space. The space needed for growing feed for livestock is actually one of the biggest sinners when it comes to environmental degradation. Goodbye, rainforest!

1 kilo insect protein vs. 1 kilo minced beef

Well, why not just eat plants?

A vegan or vegetarian diet is topnotch and it’s the right thing to do for a lot of people. There are, however, several reasons for the relevance of insects. For instance, you can find nutrients in insects that are difficult to get from a plant-based diet.

On a larger scale, insects can help feed the world’s growing population. Partly because insects can be farmed in places that are unfit for agriculture - for instance because of drought, limited space or soil degradation.

The production of plant-based food for the entire world isn’t 100% planet-friendly either. The cultivation of vegetables and soy costs both water and land, and since insects are extremely nutritionally dense, you need fewer amounts to gain the same nourishment. Which means that it would be ideal to add insects to a varied green diet.

What change does it make if I eat beetles?

By eating insects today (and we don't mean whole insects, but dried, finely powdered beetles), you support the development of food that potentially can save the food system of tomorrow. So, you basically support the planet. Furthermore, insects taste awesome (of umami and nuts) and they grant you a nutrition boost that’s out of this world.

But I thought, we were meant to preserve the insects, not eat them?

Worry not. There’s gonna be no backyard earthworm digging or centipede gathering for dinner. We’re not stealing the birds’ food or wiping out the entire bee population. The insects, we use, are farmed on big vertical, climate-friendly farms, where they are fed food waste. By eating insects, you avoid pesticides from animal feed and vegetable farming, and thereby you actually support the insects in the wild.

Next step for the planet-lover

If insects have sparked your interest, you can either try it out for yourself here, read about Hey Planet’s backstory or follow us on Instagram. Or you can check out our scrumptious recipes!