Sliced bread or cricket crackers, garlic spread made from mealworms and crushed mealworms to sprinkle in your smoothie first thing in the morning. Insects make their way onto the plates. But more difficult in Quebec.
In France, the cricket market is exploding. The Paris-based company Ynsect confirmed this year its intention to open farms in the United States and Mexico. She makes no secret of it, she has her eye on the Canadian market. Its sales contracts amount to more than 180 million euros (263 million Canadian dollars).
In Ontario, tens of millions of dollars from the government made Aspire’s first fully automated cricket farm in London profitable. The giant insect processor offers its customers several recipes, including hamburger balls made by replacing a third of the meat with a formula based on cricket powder. Its insects are intended for humans and animals.
In Quebec, the future is uncertain due to lack of money. Even if the province is experiencing slight growth, insect production is still in an “artisanal” state, on a “pilot scale,” explains Marc-André Hébert, president of the Association of Breeders and Transformers of Insects. of Quebec (AETIQ), created in 2019.
In the absence of massive funding from the government or private partners, start-ups closed their doors during the pandemic, even before having really taken off, he says.
The president of AETIQ is a veritable insect bible. He also owns Entologik, a producer and processor of organic crickets. In addition to being vice-president of the Quebec Edible Insect Industry Table, bringing together around forty stakeholders, including around fifteen insect producers.
“Just before COVID-19, there was excitement for the industry when activist Greta Thunberg joined the climate march in Montreal. There have been scientific advances. We are still inventing our processes. But if we don’t move forward with solid investments, it will be difficult to achieve ISO management standards, to be registered with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency. To carve out a solid place for yourself. »
In a former industrial building, at 1401, rue Legendre Ouest, in Montreal, the company TriCycle manages to do well thanks to its mealworm larvae. Its production area, once barely 1,000 square feet (92.9 square meters), now extends to 10,000 square feet. With a growth plan of 25,000 square feet. Its products are popular for feeding pets – birds, lizards – or chickens. Human food is also developing, but at a snail’s pace.
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
The Quebec company TriCycle raises edible insects for human and animal food. At the end of the transformation process, the insect is 50% protein. This is twice as much as in the case of beef.
At the time of the visit of The Press, mealworm crackers were being tested by employees. Our team tasted them: they have a salty taste, similar to that of potato chips, with a note of chives. In insect culture, experts repeat that insects are an excellent solution for replacing animal protein in human food. Its virtues are praised for fighting obesity and protecting the microbiota. A superfood for athletes. For vegetarians, a great source of vitamin B12.
In the context where it is imperative to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions linked to livestock breeding and meat production, TriCycle’s director of operations, Alexis Fortin, believes that the consumption of insects becomes a must. Their production does not require the use of pesticides, there are no tractors, the insects do not produce methane, and they are fed with food residues, such as brewers’ grains (cereal residue).
PHOTO FRANÇOIS ROY, THE PRESS
Alexis Fortin, co-founder of TriCycle
There is still a stubborn psychological barrier towards insects. We think it’s dirty. It will take another ten years before we properly integrate them into our diet. But there is room for recipes.
Alexis Fortin, director of operations at TriCycle
In grocery stores, crickets are making a timid appearance on the shelves, through the President’s Choice brand (Provigo), with 100% cricket powder manufactured at Aspire, in Ontario. As for Avril health supermarkets, spokesperson Alexandre Gaudreau had “no information to communicate”. At Rachelle Béry (Sobeys), the communications manager, Anne-Hélène Lavoie, indicated that the brand “is always interested in new products”. But she had no confirmation about the insects.
At Laval University, a chair is dedicated to research and development in the production and development of edible insects within the Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences. Marie-Hélène Deschamps, assistant professor, says that Europe is 15 years ahead of Quebec.
“The challenge is to produce and then transform the insects. In Quebec, the Écodélys firm has developed a range of spreads. But we still need to have the volumes. Right now there is a good window of opportunity, but the industry needs funding. »
Learn more
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- Three main insects
- In Quebec, three main insects are raised for human and animal food: the cricket, the mealworm and the black soldier fly. Although no permit is required for the production of insects, the operator is responsible for ensuring the safety of the products he offers to consumers. Regarding the processing or preparation of insects for human consumption, the rules of hygiene and food safety are the same as for the preparation of food. Thus, it is necessary to ensure that the insects are suitable for human consumption.
Source: Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food of Quebec
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- Crickets require 12 times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep, and half as much as pigs and chickens to produce the same amount of protein. They require much less water than livestock.
Source: Aspire London, Ontario