Mellentin points out that the commercialisation of insects is already happening.
According to a new white paper, entrepreneurial companies are already making snacks and ingredients from bugs, presenting them in attractive and convenient ways and targeting lifestyle consumers.
“Most industry executives will dismiss the idea of using insects as an ingredient as too weird; as something that consumers will never accept, or accept too slowly for it to be commercially interesting,” said Mellentin. “They are wrong, of course. Such a conservative outlook means that the field will be left open to entrepreneurs and they will create new brands and a new market.”
Quorn’s profitable commercialisation of soil fungus – a $340m food brand sold in 15 countries – shows that consumers can and will accept even things that initially sound unpalatable.
“Quorn is an example of a company creating products that consumers didn’t know they needed,” said Mellentin. “They are not led by consumer demand, they create consumer demand. And this will be the key to the success of insects as an ingredient.
“When new brands and ingredients come to market, it’s possible to forecast success when you see them connecting to multiple trends. Insects deliver protein, tying them to Paleo and similar high-protein diets that are beloved of the lifestyle consumer, and from a sustainable source. Already, meat snacking is a rising trend, so this too is on the side of insects.
“The successful products will use Asian or South American flavours and people will buy them from food trucks and trendy cafes and independent health food retailers.”
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