Sainsburys to become first supermarket to stock edible bugs

Customers will be able to pick up Eat Grub’s Smoky BBQ Crunchy Roasted Crickets.

SEE ALSO: Woman fined for improper use of Blue disabled badgeThe house crickets, also known as acheta domesticus, are farmed in Europe will come in packets of about 50, selling for £1.50 per bag.

They will be in offer in 250 stores say the supermarket giants but it is not yet known if the branches at Hastings and Bexhill will stock them.

Bugs already form a significant part of diets around the world and the global edible insect market is set to exceed £406m by 2023.

Rachel Eyre, head of future brands at Sainsbury’s, said: “Insect snacks should no longer be seen as a gimmick or something for a dare, and it’s clear that consumers are increasingly keen to explore this new sustainable protein source.”

London-based Eat Grub suggests eating the bugs as a snack or using them as a garnish on dishes such as tacos, noodles or salads.

Gram for gram, dried crickets contain more protein than beef or chicken with 100g containing 68g of protein, compared to just 31g of protein in beef.

Bugs are one of the world’s most sustainable food sources. They emit lower levels of greenhouse gases than most livestock and are more efficient in terms of the resources needed to farm them.

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