Edible insect snacks land in Hong Kong – barbecue-flavoured crickets, anyone?
Why French-born entrepreneur Lucie Somé wants Hongkongers to catch the insect-eating bug. ‘Edible insects are the future,’ she says
Lucie Somé unpacks the contents of her bag onto a table in a Kennedy Town cafe. “I promised to bring snacks,” says the 32-year-old.
But there are no pistachios, seaweed or cheese balls here, just smoked onion- and barbecue-flavoured crickets, herby mealworms, crunchy grasshoppers and an energy bar made from apricot, goji, chia and cricket powder.
“It’s about erasing the ‘yuck’ factor,” says Somé. “People need time to adapt and see that eating insects is no different to eating shrimp or lobster. It’s just what people have been conditioned to think about what is acceptable to eat and what is not.”
Having hosted insect tastings in Hong Kong, Somé says the feedback from consumers and those in the food industry has been positive.
By 2030, global sales of edible insects, sold either whole or in the form of smoothie powder, are expected to grow from US$1 billion to US$8 billion, according to one recent report.
But, as with any type of food, in the final analysis it all comes down to taste.
Somé’s apricot and ground crickets protein bar is rich, sticky and full of flavour, and there is no sensation of eating bugs because, as with the pasta and granola, the insects were used in powder form. It’s a different story when it comes to the cricket and grasshopper snacks, which look like what they are. Both are crispy and light in texture, and they could be enjoyed as an accompaniment to a cold beer on a summer’s afternoon. The taste is dominated by whatever flavouring has been added.
“Edible insects are the future,” Somé says. “So people should start seeing them in a positive light.”