Noted bug lovers likeQuestlove,René Redzepi, and all the oldFear Factorcontestants may need to pencil in a quick Swiss supermarket stop this May. That’s when one of Europe’s largest food wholesalers based therestarts selling“burgers” and “meatballs” made from mealworms. It’s a partnership betweenCoop, which operates more than 2,000 stores in the country, andEssento, a startup that’s trying to popularize eating insects.
Down the line, Coop hopes to stock more than just the larval spin on ground chuck; together, it and Essentoenvisionan entire range of “surprising” insect-protein products. Essento co-founder Christian Bärtsch tellsBusiness Insiderthat, right now, the aim is chiefly to make products that “taste and look as close to beef as possible,” that trick every meat-alternative startuphas found usefulfor easing in apprehensive consumers.
Advocatestouteating bugs as a cost-effective, eco-friendly, and nutrient-rich substitute to meat-heavy diets, and it’s starting to lose its yuck factor. Cricketflourandprotein barsareincreasingly availablein U.S. grocery stores, for example. And it’s worth remembering that plant-based alternatives are already there. (Whole Foodsrecently addedBeyond Meat’s veggie burgers to their own special case beside the regular meat, and they sold outin an hour.) But putting a full-blown bug-protein section on the meat aisle probably wouldn’t get thewarmestwelcome just yet Stateside. In fact, Switzerland — a country on a continent that enjoys a much deeper culinary tie to bugs — just recently changed its laws so that grocers don’t have to get a special permit to sell insects, so long as the products follow standard food-safety regulations. Coop says it plans to stock the mealworm packs smack-dab in the middle of the refrigerated meat section.
