The University of Connecticut is offering quite the odd snack. A campus food truck, known as Food for Thought, sells packages of crickets for 99 cents, as either a topping for tacos or to be eaten on its own.
Dining services area assistant manager John Smith mentioned to the Daily Campus that people get them for toppings, protein, or “the ‘wow factor.'” He estimates that only two or three packages are sold a day.
Smith and dining services assistant director of retail operations Charles Couture said they offered students a free sample of the crickets, but a majority of students refused to even try them.
Despite the oddity and low sales, some are suggesting the consumption of crickets and other insects due to a projected increase in the world’s food needs. It is pointed out that:
Crickets provide an excellent source of protein, are low in fat, and high in B vitamins and minerals, such as iron and zinc. The insects are abundant and very easy to raise in comparison to livestock and also produce less waste. According to the Wall Street Journal, many say that roasted crickets have a nutty flavor.
Medical Daily writes further on the consumption of crickets, and mentions that the United Nations has actually encouraged the world to eat more insects.
They do also point to a study from the University of California-Davis, which says it’s going to be just as expensive to raise crickets as it is to raise chickens.
There is certainly an ‘ick’ factor there is with eating insects, no matter how environmentally friendly it may be. It remains to be seen if people will turn to eating crickets when and if the food crisis comes.
In the meantime, those who just want to try to add to their protein supplement in an interesting way can now do so at the University of Connecticut.
