Eating insects delivers protein and essential nutrients comparable to conventional meat while using a fraction of the environmental resources. Around two billion people, roughly 30% of the world’s population, already include insects in their traditional diets, consuming over 2,200 species across 128 countries. For the rest of us, the case for adding bugs to the plate comes down to three things: nutrition, sustainability, and efficiency.
Protein That Rivals Beef and Chicken
Crickets contain about 20.5 grams of protein per 100 grams of edible weight. Beef sirloin sits at 20.1 grams, and chicken breast at 21.5 grams. The numbers are essentially interchangeable. More importantly, insect protein is complete, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids your body can’t make on its own.
The amino acid profiles tell a nuanced story. Crickets are particularly rich in leucine, an amino acid critical for muscle repair, delivering around 1,650 to 2,050 milligrams per 100 grams depending on the species. That’s on par with or above beef sirloin (1,680 mg). Where crickets fall slightly short is in lysine and methionine, two amino acids where beef and chicken have an edge. But the gaps are modest, not the kind that would matter in a varied diet. If you’re eating insects alongside grains, legumes, or other protein sources, the amino acid profile fills out completely.
Vitamins and Minerals Worth Noting
Insects aren’t just protein shells. Crickets provide 2.88 micrograms of vitamin B12 per 100 grams, which covers more than 100% of the daily recommended intake for most adults. That’s notable because B12 is typically associated with red meat, eggs, and dairy, making insects a meaningful source for people looking to diversify where their B12 comes from. Mealworms contain a lower but still useful 1.08 micrograms, and grasshoppers come in at 0.84 micrograms.
Insect exoskeletons are made of chitin, a type of fiber that humans can’t digest on their own. That turns out to be a feature, not a flaw. Chitin passes through to your large intestine intact, where it feeds beneficial gut bacteria. Research published in Scientific Reports found that chitin-glucan (the form of chitin found in insects) acts as a prebiotic, specifically boosting the growth of Bifidobacterium strains that are associated with healthy digestion. In animal trials, rats fed chitin-glucan showed increased abundance of beneficial gut microbes overall, not just a single species.
A Dramatically Smaller Environmental Footprint
The environmental argument for insects is where the gap between bugs and livestock gets enormous. Cattle are the largest agricultural source of methane, a greenhouse gas with 23 times the warming potential of carbon dioxide. Cattle manure also releases nitrous oxide, which traps 296 times more heat than CO2 and persists in the atmosphere for up to 150 years. Insect farming sidesteps most of this. Mealworm production generates roughly 1.47 kg of CO2 equivalent per kilogram, and cricket farming ranges from 1.3 to 2.9 kg CO2 equivalent, depending on the operation and feed source.
Insects also require far less land. Their higher feed conversion efficiency, the rate at which they turn food into body mass, means you need less cropland to grow their feed and less space to house them. Crickets can be farmed vertically in stacked containers inside warehouses, making them viable even in urban areas with no arable land at all. For a planet expected to feed nearly 10 billion people by 2050, that space efficiency matters.
Feed Conversion: More Protein Per Pound of Input
Cold-blooded animals don’t burn calories maintaining body temperature, which makes insects remarkably efficient at converting feed into edible weight. Crickets need roughly 1.7 kilograms of feed to gain one kilogram of body weight. Cattle typically need 8 to 10 kilograms of feed for the same gain. That’s a five-to-one advantage before you even consider that about 80% of a cricket’s body is edible, compared to roughly 40% of a cow.
This efficiency cascades through every resource involved. Less feed means less water to grow that feed, less fertilizer, less fuel for harvesting and transport. It also means insects can be raised on organic waste streams, including food scraps and agricultural byproducts, turning waste into protein instead of sending it to landfills.
Two Billion People Already Eat Them
Entomophagy, the practice of eating insects, isn’t new or fringe. A 2024 global atlas published in Scientific Reports documented 2,205 insect species consumed across 128 countries. Beetles are the most commonly eaten order worldwide, followed by caterpillars, bees, wasps, ants, grasshoppers, and crickets. In Thailand, Mexico, parts of sub-Saharan Africa, and across Southeast Asia, insects are street food, market staples, and ingredients in traditional dishes that have been refined over centuries.
What’s new is the Western interest. Cricket flour has become the entry point for many people, since it can be blended into protein bars, smoothies, pasta, and baked goods without any visible insect parts. Roasted mealworms and flavored crickets are showing up on grocery shelves in Europe and North America, marketed as high-protein snacks. The European Union has approved several insect species for human consumption, and regulatory frameworks in the U.S., Canada, and Australia are catching up.
Allergy Risks and Safety Concerns
If you have a shellfish allergy, approach insect protein with caution. Insects and shellfish share a protein called tropomyosin that can trigger cross-reactive allergic responses, including potentially severe ones like anaphylaxis. Research from the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology found that the degree of cross-reactivity varies significantly by insect species. Some species showed much less reactivity to shrimp-sensitized antibodies than others, suggesting that not all edible insects carry the same risk. But until more species-specific data is available, anyone with a confirmed shellfish allergy should treat insect protein as a potential allergen.
On the contamination side, farmed insects raised in controlled environments are generally safe, but they’re not immune to chemical hazards. Heavy metals like lead, arsenic, mercury, and cadmium can accumulate in insect tissue if present in their feed or substrate. This is why sourcing matters: insects raised on clean, monitored feed in regulated facilities carry far less risk than wild-harvested insects or those raised on uncontrolled waste. Mycotoxins and certain industrial pollutants, by contrast, don’t appear to accumulate in insect tissue.
How to Start Eating Insects
You don’t have to bite into a whole grasshopper on day one. Cricket powder is the most approachable form, with a mild, slightly nutty flavor that blends easily into oatmeal, protein shakes, and baking recipes. A couple of tablespoons adds roughly 10 grams of protein. Roasted crickets and mealworms, often seasoned with flavors like barbecue or chili lime, work as a crunchy snack or salad topping.
Look for products from farms that disclose their feed sources and processing methods. In the EU, approved insect products carry specific labeling. In the U.S., the FDA classifies insects as food and expects the same safety standards as other protein sources, though dedicated insect-farming regulations are still evolving. Starting with established brands that emphasize transparency gives you the best combination of safety and quality.