Trend alert: Could insect milk be the next big food trend?
By Megan Baadjies 
May 22, 2018
If you are easily grossed out by
bugs, then this trend may leave a
bitter taste in your mouth.
Entomilk is a milk alternative
made from insects, said to be rich,
creamy and high in nutrients.
The name is derived from the
term entomophagy, the practice
of eating insects.
The Washington
Post reports that at least two
billion people around the world
are already eating insects as part
of their diet, according to the
2013 report by the UN Food and
Agriculture Organisation.
Some scientists are calling
cockroach milk the new
superfood.
Cape Town company, Gourmet
Grubb has produced ice cream
with Entomilk. Co-founders Jean
Louwrens and Leah Bessa aim to
change the way people perceive
eating insects.
On their website
they explain that the milk is made
from sustainable farmed insects.
“Eating insects as is or in
powdered form is a tad boring…
Therefore we use Entomilk to
make our delicious ice cream!
“Think of Entomilk as a
sustainable, nature-friendly,
nutritious, lactose free, delicious,
guilt-free dairy alternative of the
future.”
🍶First bottle of #organic #freerange #CockroachMilk door delivered 😋 😍 #hipster #food #love #yummy
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What better way to tempt
people into trying something new, than
with a sweet treat?
The ice cream
comes in three flavours – peanut
butter, chocolate and chai.
Bessa, who has a Masters of
Science Degree in food safety and
quality assurance, says the idea is
to create an insect-based product
that changes the way people think.
“We want to create a product
people would willingly adopt into
their lifestyle and diet,” she says.
“The motivation for using
insects as a food source was twofold.
"On the one hand we wanted
to find a food source that could
sustain the growing population,
while having a minimal impact on
the environment.
"And on the other
hand, we wanted something that
was naturally nutritious.”
Bessa says people are
beginning to move away from
dairy due to a rise in lactose
intolerance, the animal welfare
issues surrounding dairy
farming and “the huge negative
impact” dairy farming has on the
environment.
“The ice cream was developed
as a vehicle to introduce the
concept to the market in a fun and
enticing way,” she says.
People’s reaction to the gogga-based
milk has been varied and,
as expected, many are still trying
to wrap their heads around this
unusual concept.
Gourmet Grubb introduced
their product to audiences at the
Design Indaba in Cape Town.
“The reaction is mostly one
of surprise and amazement,”
says Bessa.
“But eating ice cream
comes pretty naturally to most
people, so it’s really helped break
down the barriers people have
when it comes to eating insects.”
As eating patterns change and
people seek healthier alternatives,
Bessa believes this is a trend to
watch.
“Consumers are becoming
more aware of what goes into
their food. This is creating a
demand for products and meals
that are honest, nutritious and
have far less refined ingredients.”
Bessa believes the biggest food
trend in the coming decades will
be people eating far fewer meat based
products.
“We believe Entomilk can be
used as a substitute in most forms
of cuisine. We’re still researching
the best ways to incorporate it
into our everyday diet,” she says.
“Products such as cheese and
yoghurt are our next targets and
we’ll be making them available as
soon as we’ve dotted our i’s and
crossed all our t’s.”
For details, visit gourmetgrubb.com
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