Sainsbury’s will be Britain’s first supermarket to sell INSECTS as they roll out crickets on Monday 

Sainsbury’s will start selling crunchy crickets as of Monday in a UK first.

The grocer has taken the plunge on the bags of protein-rich critters after considering the environmental issues around meat production and the growing interest in more foreign flavours. 

Eating bugs is usually consigned to poorer nations but the likes of crickets are popular in China and all over south east Asia. 

Sainsbury’s will now stock BBQ-flavoured crickets in 250 stores come Monday

Pop ups and quirky retailers have trailed the unusual snacks in the UK with some restaurants having bug dishes on their menus, even for noodle garnishes. 

But now Sainsbury’s will stock flavour-rich roasted crickets in 250 of its stores from Monday. 

London-based Eat Grub make the snacks, described as having a ‘smoky BBQ’ taste. 

They champion the sustainability cause on their packaging, stating: ‘More sustainable than pork scratchings … and more exciting than a crisp.’ The packs of 50 will cost £1.50. 

They crowd-funded in 2015 to launch their bar made with cricket flour, stating that they used crickets because ‘they are kind to our lovely planet.’ 

The crickets are described as having a rich and smoky flavour, this bag will cost £1.50

The crickets are described as having a rich and smoky flavour, this bag will cost £1.50

However rare it may be on home shores, bug eating is no fad. More than 1,000 insect species are eaten around the world and recent research suggests that the global edible insect market is set to exceed $520m (£406m) by 2023. 

Rachel Eyre, head of future brands at Sainsbury’s, seems to agree that crickets and other insects have a future as foods in the UK.

She said: ‘Insect snacks should no longer be seen as a gimmick or something for a dare. It’s clear that consumers are increasingly keen to explore this new sustainable protein source.’

Gram for gram, dried crickets contain more protein than beef, chicken and pork – with 100g containing 68g of protein, compared with only 31g of protein in beef, according to The Guardian.   

New research by Sainsbury’s and Eat Grub reveals people’s attitudes to entomophagy (human use of insects as food) in the UK are changing rapidly as interest in edible insects increases.

Nearly 10 per cent of people in the UK have tried edible insects, of which more than half (57 per cent) say they enjoyed them. One in eight claims they haven’t yet tried edible insects simply because they haven’t had the chance or don’t know where to buy them, showing accessibility has been a significant barrier until now.  

A Sainbury's store in Chipperton. The retailer will stock the crickets in 250 of its stores

A Sainbury’s store in Chipperton. The retailer will stock the crickets in 250 of its stores

The food group is also tasty in terms of sustainability, emitting considerably less greenhouse gasses than most livestock. they also need less space and maintenance. 

‘As the population increases, we urgently need to look at alternative protein sources to make the most of land available for food production,’ the food policy manager at WWF UK, Duncan Williamson, said, adding that bugs are the way forward.   

Eat Grub was launched in 2014 by co-founders Shami Radia and Neil Whippey with the aim to revolutionise Western food culture by introducing insects as a staple part of it.

Shami Radia said: ‘Currently Insects are eaten and enjoyed by two billion people worldwide. We’re on a mission to show the West that as well as having very strong sustainability and environmental credentials, they are also seriously tasty and shouldn’t be overlooked as a great snack or recipe ingredient.’   

Selfridges, which sells bug products from a company called Jimini’s, will next February launch a pop-up ‘Bug Bar’ selling a range of insect-based items including cricket flour while introducing consumers to new recipes.

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