Future foods which don't cost the earth - The Cricket Hop Co.
A future focused start up is creating green protein alternatives. Future foods which don’t cost the earth..
FUTURE
As global food industries continue to produce resource-intensive protein sources such as meat and dairy, the environmental consequences are becoming more apparent. From excessive use of water, to carbon emissions, the UN is urging us to look at using alternative protein sources. Add this to the health issues caused by poor nutrition, misleading advertising and heath advice, coupled with poor lifestyle choices, The Cricket Hop Co. offer a solution to tackle both global and personal challenges. Read more on this matter and view the full UN report click here.
FOCUSED
As a sustainable food company, they practice what they preach and try to cook with the freshest, local and seasonal produce they can find. “Vietnam is a thriving and colourful country full of rich culinary heritage, it has beautifully stunning landscapes and equally beautiful people to match. It can boast an abundance of fantastic produce from the coconuts, bananas and cocoa plantations down in the Mekong delta to the south, to the wide selection of exotic fruits, nuts, vegetables, tea and coffee found in the highlands of Da Lat.”
“We are focused on showcasing the finest produce Vietnam has to offer and she is now starting to gain great recognition in the world’s leading Cocoa and Coffee industry circles” (Tom Scrimgeour Co Founder)
GREEN
The Cricket Hop Co. believes in trying to use and adopt the most environmentally friendly procedures and processes to produce all of its products, this ranges from the packaging of the products, right down to the feed on which the crickets are fed on. For example, the crickets are bred in the south of Vietnam where the climate conditions are perfect for breading the insects all year round. In correlation to other western factories which rely heavily on temperature controlled farming units to replicate this process at a higher environmental cost. Their farm partner Nam produces his own cassava root and feeds the leaves to the crickets. This organic feed is full of great nutrients which are perfect for the crickets. They then produce a high nitrate fertiliser as by-product (poop) which is then returned back onto the land to help boost the crops’ potassium and nitrogen content. This cycle ensures the soil quality remains high and there is no food miles or wastage involved in the process of rearing the crickets.
One third of the world’s arable land is used to produce the feed required to sustain global livestock production. In 2050 the population is predicted to be 9 billion people. We simply to do have the natural resources when engaging in intensive agricultural farming to sustain this growing population. The emissions produced by bovine creatures such as cows are one of the leading contributors to global warming by a long stretch. Intensive farming of animals and crops has led to the cutting down of rainforests, polluting the oceans and poisoning river systems; stripping the land of all its nutrients and not allowing it to recover, cutting down habitats to create grazing pastures are destroying important eco systems.
The answer? Simply by cutting down on the amount of meat, dairy and fish we consume and by choosing where our meat comes from and how it is raised and looked after by swapping our daily food choices for more sustainable and eco-friendly options we can slow down the process of global warming, let the land, rainforests, and the oceans recover and ensure that certain species do not get wiped out forever.
PROTEIN
The cricket flour is made from 100% crickets produced under lab conditions from their Vietnamese farm partners who are certified for EU and ASEAN export. This environmentally friendly product is also a Gluten-free, Nut-free, Lactose-free and Non-GMO- free alternative to other protein sources.
Crickets are considered to be one of the most sustainable protein source in the world. They are natures true super food!
Packed full of all 9 essential Amino Acids with a complete Amino Acid profile. Vitamins: A, B1, B2, E, Minerals: Iron, Calcium, Potassium, Fibre, Phosphorus, Magnesium, Zinc, Sodium, Omega 3 and 6 and of course a very competitive protein content!
The average cricket flour record’s a protein content of around 62-67% but the Cricket Hop Co. contains a higher quantity. Due to its specialist processes they can boast a content of at least 70%! It’s average content is 74.4%.
Every 100g cricket flour bag contains 13.26g of BCAAS (branched-chain Amino Acids) and 4.42g Leucine making it ideal for muscle recovery and development.
The product is now available on Amazon UK.
Further reading can be found on their website.
Hayden Smith