5 ms·

Ynsect-crushing reality - nobody really wants to eat bugs

petepete 9mo ago
Yet most people over a certain age probably have without realising. Haribo, Tropicana, lots of fruit juices, sweets and dairy products used Cochineal.
dieselgate 9mo ago
“Human food was never the focus” I eagerly purchase insect/grub kibble for my dog - both fly and cricket based. Also a lot of vegetarian kibble, I am a vegetarian myself.
- aguacaterojo 9mo ago
  But still your dog doesn't really want to eat the bugs, it's just there's no bowl of steak next to it
  - regularfry 9mo ago
    Have you met dogs?
    - andrewflnr 9mo ago
      We had a dog who would pull watermelon rinds out of the compost pile to eat. We gave her nice bones, but it's not enough. Nothing is enough. All is food and food is all.
      - xvilka 9mo ago
        How mighty wolves have fallen...
  - AngryData 9mo ago
    How can you know that? Dogs were domesticated on being fed scraps to start with and came from wolves which are also natural scavengers and eat all sorts of nasty (to us) things. Ive seen many dogs happily gobble up insects, even stink bugs. Dogs don't even know what their food is made out of 95% of the time these days so im not sure anybody can claim they simply don't like eating insect food without some kind of study to back it up.
    - aguacaterojo 9mo ago
      I was being a little facetious. Yes they probably "like" processed insect food designed for them, but for the average dog, I'm still betting on the steak. Wolves scavenge opportunistically, but they are first apex predators. Their primary food drive is to hunt in packs for large game and gorge. Dogs are not so far removed.
Retric 9mo ago
People do however both keep pets and eat animals that eat insects, which is what the company was aiming for.
deleted 9mo ago
[deleted]
cindyllm 9mo ago
[dead]
tyre 9mo ago
I would happily eat cricket protein if it were more scalably environmentally sustainable. I’m fine with milk, but cows aren’t helping our greenhouse sitchu. Not to mention the issues with pea protein and lead content.
- oofbey 9mo ago
  What are the problems with pea protein and lead?
  - zerofor_conduct 9mo ago
    A recent investigation by Consumer Reports found that plant-based protein powders, particularly those made with pea protein, contain significantly higher levels of lead compared to animal-based alternatives, with over two-thirds of tested products exceeding safe daily lead intake levels.
Fnoord 9mo ago
Why not? Have you tried? I have, must've been almost 30 years ago now, at Wageningen University. They taste quite well, if well prepared (they were). Insect burgers are also nice. I liked Damhert's insect burger [1]. People just think too much it looks like [2] [1] https://www.jumbo.com/producten/damhert-nutrition-insecta-groenteburger-met-buffalowormen-2-x-75g-151485PAK https://www.jumbo.com/producten/damhert-nutrition-insecta-gr... [2] https://www.theburningplatform.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/adoboe-stock-cricket-bug-insect-burger-2000x900-1.jpeg https://www.theburningplatform.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/0...
zerofor_conduct 9mo ago
And here are some of the reasons why: 1. high risk of severe allergic reactions and cross-reactivity 2. contamination with pathogens, toxins, and heavy metals 3. digestive and nutritional drawbacks, including anti-nutrients (no pun intended) and imbalances 4. and last but not least, the good old precautionary principle: limited research on long-term human health impacts and emerging hazards if you still want to eat zee bugz, consider yourself warned !
- numpad0 9mo ago
  I don't understand why everyone involved didn't immediately realize especially the first two of those whys. Eating bugs at scale is such a surefire way to get everyone allergic to random stuffs. And it's not like it was never tried. There are tribes and cultures that do it at tiny scales, which means humans used to do it and quit at some point in the past. It's removing not an insignificant Chesterton's Fence.

Yet most people over a certain age probably have without realising. Haribo, Tropicana, lots of fruit juices, sweets and dairy products used Cochineal.

dieselgate 9mo ago

“Human food was never the focus” I eagerly purchase insect/grub kibble for my dog - both fly and cricket based. Also a lot of vegetarian kibble, I am a vegetarian myself.

aguacaterojo 9mo ago
But still your dog doesn't really want to eat the bugs, it's just there's no bowl of steak next to it
- regularfry 9mo ago
  Have you met dogs?
  - andrewflnr 9mo ago
    We had a dog who would pull watermelon rinds out of the compost pile to eat. We gave her nice bones, but it's not enough. Nothing is enough. All is food and food is all.
    - xvilka 9mo ago
      How mighty wolves have fallen...
- AngryData 9mo ago
  How can you know that? Dogs were domesticated on being fed scraps to start with and came from wolves which are also natural scavengers and eat all sorts of nasty (to us) things. Ive seen many dogs happily gobble up insects, even stink bugs. Dogs don't even know what their food is made out of 95% of the time these days so im not sure anybody can claim they simply don't like eating insect food without some kind of study to back it up.
  - aguacaterojo 9mo ago
    I was being a little facetious. Yes they probably "like" processed insect food designed for them, but for the average dog, I'm still betting on the steak. Wolves scavenge opportunistically, but they are first apex predators. Their primary food drive is to hunt in packs for large game and gorge. Dogs are not so far removed.

Retric 9mo ago

People do however both keep pets and eat animals that eat insects, which is what the company was aiming for.

deleted 9mo ago

[deleted]

cindyllm 9mo ago

[dead]

tyre 9mo ago

I would happily eat cricket protein if it were more scalably environmentally sustainable. I’m fine with milk, but cows aren’t helping our greenhouse sitchu. Not to mention the issues with pea protein and lead content.

oofbey 9mo ago
What are the problems with pea protein and lead?
- zerofor_conduct 9mo ago
  A recent investigation by Consumer Reports found that plant-based protein powders, particularly those made with pea protein, contain significantly higher levels of lead compared to animal-based alternatives, with over two-thirds of tested products exceeding safe daily lead intake levels.

Fnoord 9mo ago

Why not? Have you tried? I have, must've been almost 30 years ago now, at Wageningen University. They taste quite well, if well prepared (they were). Insect burgers are also nice. I liked Damhert's insect burger [1]. People just think too much it looks like [2] [1] https://www.jumbo.com/producten/damhert-nutrition-insecta-groenteburger-met-buffalowormen-2-x-75g-151485PAK https://www.jumbo.com/producten/damhert-nutrition-insecta-gr... [2] https://www.theburningplatform.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/08/adoboe-stock-cricket-bug-insect-burger-2000x900-1.jpeg https://www.theburningplatform.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/0...

zerofor_conduct 9mo ago

And here are some of the reasons why: 1. high risk of severe allergic reactions and cross-reactivity 2. contamination with pathogens, toxins, and heavy metals 3. digestive and nutritional drawbacks, including anti-nutrients (no pun intended) and imbalances 4. and last but not least, the good old precautionary principle: limited research on long-term human health impacts and emerging hazards if you still want to eat zee bugz, consider yourself warned !

numpad0 9mo ago
I don't understand why everyone involved didn't immediately realize especially the first two of those whys. Eating bugs at scale is such a surefire way to get everyone allergic to random stuffs. And it's not like it was never tried. There are tribes and cultures that do it at tiny scales, which means humans used to do it and quit at some point in the past. It's removing not an insignificant Chesterton's Fence.