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  Life   Food  13 Jan 2017  Crickets make leap in demand as a food protein

Crickets make leap in demand as a food protein

AP
Published : Jan 13, 2017, 1:29 pm IST
Updated : Jan 13, 2017, 1:35 pm IST

Farmers are starting cricket farms as it is known to be more ecologically sound

Crickets are being used as a substitute for chicken and other protein foods in food made everyday. (Photo: Pixabay)
 Crickets are being used as a substitute for chicken and other protein foods in food made everyday. (Photo: Pixabay)

Williston, Vermont: Farmers are raising alternative livestock they say are more ecologically sound than meat but that are sure to bug some people out: crickets.

Interest in edible insects was fueled by a 2013 report from the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations. Since then, the number of producers of foods containing crickets - from protein bars to chips and pasta sauce - has jumped from zero to about 20 in the United States, while U.S. cricket farms have grown to about a half dozen.

Tomorrow's Harvest in Williston, Vermont, is among the new cricket farms that don't use much space to raise the protein-packed food. Steve Swanson raises the crickets in boxes in his basement and has just started selling cricket protein powder online.

Tags: crickets, bugs, crickets in food