Major Canadian food grocery companies like Maple Leaf Foods are investing in snack start-up companies to build a range of insect-based powders and snack foods for general consumption..They are on a mission to get you to ditch your steak and eat the critters..However, as we might expect, many people in developed nations are questioning the need for a dietary ingredient most associate with developing nations and poverty-stricken regions where meat is expensive and hard to come by..Unsurprisingly, a good number of people are expressing disgust at the new bug food narrative. There seems to be a lot of evidence of consumer push-back alongside some other voices that are less vocal — and perhaps more open to the idea — and who are watching the animated discussion unfold from the sidelines..Social media is beginning to fill up with posts by folks who have found insects, like crickets, listed in the products ingredients. One insect snack business cited on social media and new on the block is called Actually Foods and is a Canadian start-up whose cricket farm is in Peterborough, Ontario with its snack manufacturing facility in Saskatchewan..The company is a subsidiary of Entomo Farms, which is an affiliate of the North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture and has been farming insects for eight years..One of Actually Foods' founders and vice-president, Jarrod Goldin, spoke to the Western Standard to discuss the drive to get insects into the Western diet and how the company is settling into the emerging market sector in Canada..Colton — who is a chiropractor by training and who started the company with two of his brothers — said Actually Foods is their first foray into the consumer packaged foods market..Colton said Actually Foods was distinct in that its snack food range of flavoured puffs are "functional."."We've tried to make a snack that was both yummy delicious, but that also has some real health benefits and healthy attributes. So you don't have to feel guilty chowing down on a bag of puffs while you watch your favourite sports or TV show.".Colton said, "So, functional food, ironically, has become a term to describe food that is healthy," he said.."All food should obviously be healthy, but sadly it isn't. So, functional food is generally a term that's used when you describe foods that benefit the body, like fruits and vegetables are functional foods. And they provide the function of promoting health and wellness.".His business model has attracted investment from the likes of grocery corporations like Maple Leaf Foods.. President's Choice cricket powder ."Eight years ago, for us to start what is essentially North America's first human-grade insect farm ... we've raised millions of dollars toward that end. About four or five years ago, a very large Canadian company called Maple Leaf Food invested and became a minority shareholder and now has seats on our board. And they're a publicly traded billion-dollar company... So it is a real business. It's got real traction. We've got some real traction in the pet food space, as well.".Colton believes his cricket protein-based snack range is a truly healthy choice.."There is university-based research being done on the ingredients as a protein [food], but it's so much more than protein, it's high in fibre, iron, and vitamin B12. So it offers a lot of functionality. It's very bioavailable, meaning the body absorbs it very easily. So it's an exciting ingredient for people to consider adding to their diets to make themselves healthier," he said..The Presidents Choice brand at Canadian Superstore also stocks insect products. It currently has cricket protein powder in its inventory and offers customers a smoothie recipe to use it in..Colton said insect food could be the solution to the planet's environmental challenges and that insect protein "has this tremendous value to our planet and environment.... Climate change is real, global warming is real. And unfortunately, traditional protein production contributes more than any other industry to climate change. And, you know, we're here to offer people a healthier and more sustainable option."."In 2014, the United Nations (UN) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) put out a white paper — hundreds of pages. The title of the white paper was Edible Insects - Future prospects for food and feed security," he said.."And the UN and the FAO concluded in this document if insects do not enter the food chain, traditional protein farming will destroy the planet. We use all our rainforests to grow feed for all the meat we eat. You know, most of our rainforest is being taken down to grow feed for our purposes. So it's unfortunately a very unsustainable system that is rapidly causing havoc on our planet.".The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) would beg to differ, however, certainly in Canada animal agriculture is putting forth its best effort to convince consumers, too, that its product is healthy and sustainable. On its website, the CCA made a point of arguing beef can also be raised sustainably.."Cattle farmers and ranchers have a long-standing tradition of doing the right thing for the land and their animals and have demonstrated a growing commitment to sustainability," the web page said, and continued: "Today, these farmers and ranchers understand the need to raise more food using fewer resources. Global meat demand is expected to surge [to] 70% by 2050 due to a growing world population, particularly the middle class. The global livestock sector needs to ensure they're able to meet this demand by supplying high quality protein while optimizing the use and sustainability of limited natural resources.".Colton was asked how his insect-based products are being received in the marketplace.."Extremely well," he said. "You know, it's amazing to see the growth in the appreciation of the insect. Over the last eight years, I would say that when we started, 25% of the people who were exposed had heard of it, and 10% would try it. Now when we do shows, I would say at least 75% of people attending have heard of it, and 75% are willing to try it.".Colton was at pains to dispel rumours the insect-food agenda is a United Nations and World Economic Forum plan to hijack food production by engineering a world food crisis and offering insect food as a pre-designed solution in order to take control of the global food supply.."Everybody thinks that we're working for Bill Gates — somehow we're all Bill Gates conspiracy theorists. I can assure you I don't know Mr. Gates, and and I wish I did, and I wish he was funding us, but he's not," he said.."This is not about anything more than an ingredient ignored by Western populations that is extremely healthy and extremely sustainable. We are not part of the Great Reset. We are not conspiring with Bill Gates.".The Western Standard reached out to several health food outlets to gauge customer attitudes to the insect-based products they stock, but received no response in time for publication.
Major Canadian food grocery companies like Maple Leaf Foods are investing in snack start-up companies to build a range of insect-based powders and snack foods for general consumption..They are on a mission to get you to ditch your steak and eat the critters..However, as we might expect, many people in developed nations are questioning the need for a dietary ingredient most associate with developing nations and poverty-stricken regions where meat is expensive and hard to come by..Unsurprisingly, a good number of people are expressing disgust at the new bug food narrative. There seems to be a lot of evidence of consumer push-back alongside some other voices that are less vocal — and perhaps more open to the idea — and who are watching the animated discussion unfold from the sidelines..Social media is beginning to fill up with posts by folks who have found insects, like crickets, listed in the products ingredients. One insect snack business cited on social media and new on the block is called Actually Foods and is a Canadian start-up whose cricket farm is in Peterborough, Ontario with its snack manufacturing facility in Saskatchewan..The company is a subsidiary of Entomo Farms, which is an affiliate of the North American Coalition for Insect Agriculture and has been farming insects for eight years..One of Actually Foods' founders and vice-president, Jarrod Goldin, spoke to the Western Standard to discuss the drive to get insects into the Western diet and how the company is settling into the emerging market sector in Canada..Colton — who is a chiropractor by training and who started the company with two of his brothers — said Actually Foods is their first foray into the consumer packaged foods market..Colton said Actually Foods was distinct in that its snack food range of flavoured puffs are "functional."."We've tried to make a snack that was both yummy delicious, but that also has some real health benefits and healthy attributes. So you don't have to feel guilty chowing down on a bag of puffs while you watch your favourite sports or TV show.".Colton said, "So, functional food, ironically, has become a term to describe food that is healthy," he said.."All food should obviously be healthy, but sadly it isn't. So, functional food is generally a term that's used when you describe foods that benefit the body, like fruits and vegetables are functional foods. And they provide the function of promoting health and wellness.".His business model has attracted investment from the likes of grocery corporations like Maple Leaf Foods.. President's Choice cricket powder ."Eight years ago, for us to start what is essentially North America's first human-grade insect farm ... we've raised millions of dollars toward that end. About four or five years ago, a very large Canadian company called Maple Leaf Food invested and became a minority shareholder and now has seats on our board. And they're a publicly traded billion-dollar company... So it is a real business. It's got real traction. We've got some real traction in the pet food space, as well.".Colton believes his cricket protein-based snack range is a truly healthy choice.."There is university-based research being done on the ingredients as a protein [food], but it's so much more than protein, it's high in fibre, iron, and vitamin B12. So it offers a lot of functionality. It's very bioavailable, meaning the body absorbs it very easily. So it's an exciting ingredient for people to consider adding to their diets to make themselves healthier," he said..The Presidents Choice brand at Canadian Superstore also stocks insect products. It currently has cricket protein powder in its inventory and offers customers a smoothie recipe to use it in..Colton said insect food could be the solution to the planet's environmental challenges and that insect protein "has this tremendous value to our planet and environment.... Climate change is real, global warming is real. And unfortunately, traditional protein production contributes more than any other industry to climate change. And, you know, we're here to offer people a healthier and more sustainable option."."In 2014, the United Nations (UN) and the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) put out a white paper — hundreds of pages. The title of the white paper was Edible Insects - Future prospects for food and feed security," he said.."And the UN and the FAO concluded in this document if insects do not enter the food chain, traditional protein farming will destroy the planet. We use all our rainforests to grow feed for all the meat we eat. You know, most of our rainforest is being taken down to grow feed for our purposes. So it's unfortunately a very unsustainable system that is rapidly causing havoc on our planet.".The Canadian Cattle Association (CCA) would beg to differ, however, certainly in Canada animal agriculture is putting forth its best effort to convince consumers, too, that its product is healthy and sustainable. On its website, the CCA made a point of arguing beef can also be raised sustainably.."Cattle farmers and ranchers have a long-standing tradition of doing the right thing for the land and their animals and have demonstrated a growing commitment to sustainability," the web page said, and continued: "Today, these farmers and ranchers understand the need to raise more food using fewer resources. Global meat demand is expected to surge [to] 70% by 2050 due to a growing world population, particularly the middle class. The global livestock sector needs to ensure they're able to meet this demand by supplying high quality protein while optimizing the use and sustainability of limited natural resources.".Colton was asked how his insect-based products are being received in the marketplace.."Extremely well," he said. "You know, it's amazing to see the growth in the appreciation of the insect. Over the last eight years, I would say that when we started, 25% of the people who were exposed had heard of it, and 10% would try it. Now when we do shows, I would say at least 75% of people attending have heard of it, and 75% are willing to try it.".Colton was at pains to dispel rumours the insect-food agenda is a United Nations and World Economic Forum plan to hijack food production by engineering a world food crisis and offering insect food as a pre-designed solution in order to take control of the global food supply.."Everybody thinks that we're working for Bill Gates — somehow we're all Bill Gates conspiracy theorists. I can assure you I don't know Mr. Gates, and and I wish I did, and I wish he was funding us, but he's not," he said.."This is not about anything more than an ingredient ignored by Western populations that is extremely healthy and extremely sustainable. We are not part of the Great Reset. We are not conspiring with Bill Gates.".The Western Standard reached out to several health food outlets to gauge customer attitudes to the insect-based products they stock, but received no response in time for publication.
