If you care about saving the planet, then you really should be eating bugs. While the practice may not be widely accepted in the United States, Exo, a New York company with local connections that makes protein bars using cricket flour, wants to change that.
Exo, which is headquartered in Brooklyn, was founded in 2013 by two recent Brown University graduates, Greg Sewitz and Gabi Lewis. The two co-CEOs are hoping their line of products will normalize eating insects, which, in other parts of the world, are a common low-impact source of protein. In fact, insects contain more protein per 100 grams than dried beef, sirloin steak or chicken breast.
If you care about saving the planet, then you really should be eating bugs. While the practice may not be widely accepted in the United States, Exo, a New York company with local connections that makes protein bars using cricket flour, wants to change that.
Exo, which is headquartered in Brooklyn, was founded in 2013 by two recent Brown University graduates, Greg Sewitz and Gabi Lewis. The two co-CEOs are hoping their line of products will normalize eating insects, which, in other parts of the world, are a common low-impact source of protein. In fact, insects contain more protein per 100 grams than dried beef, sirloin steak or chicken breast.
Insects require little water and minimal acreage. They emit 10 times less methane than livestock and produce 300 times less nitrous oxide — also a global-warming gas.
The challenge is getting Westerners to eat them. That’s where Exo bars come in.
Exo bars themselves resemble any of the other protein bars currently on the market. They come in a variety of flavors, such as Blueberry Vanilla, Peanut Butter and Jelly, and Apple Cinnamon. Where Exo bars differ is that each bar contains the equivalent of 40 crickets. And that’s a point of pride.
“Getting people over the 'ick' factor is the biggest hurdle,” said Kate Lyons, a former Providence resident who heads up Exo’s operations and finance. “But, once people see that this looks like a protein bar, they get over it. We intend for our bars to serve as an introductory vehicle for eating insects by combining cricket flour with more familiar ingredients like nut butters and fruits."
Lyons believes Exo bars will normalize insect eating the same way California rolls brought sushi into the mainstream for Americans.
Image credit www.kickstarter.com.
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