Tech companies launch major bug food hub in North America
Swiss technology company Bühler has teamed up with NRGene Canada, a subsidiary of Israeli genomics firm NRGene Technologies Ltd, to bring insect protein to North America.
The North American Insect Center
The two firms last week inaugurated the North American Insect Center (NAIC), a bug food research and demonstration center in Saskatchewan. The NAIC aims to become a hub for the bug food industry, where investors and clients can participate in workshops, seminars, training sessions, and customer trials.
Food manufacturers, for example, can visit the NAIC to discover how the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) can serve as an alternative source of protein in snacks and meals. The center is equipped with a cutting-edge lab where researchers will develop various types of insect protein and study how they can be included in different food product streams.
"The development of insect proteins as a sustainable protein source presents significant business opportunities," Bühler's Grains & Food CEO Johannes Wick said in a press release. "This new facility will open the market up for start-ups and established businesses alike, bringing together the science, tools, technologies, and knowledge needed to further optimize the process to produce protein-rich insect larvae."
Bühler CTO Ian Roberts said the objective of the NAIC is to "develop the sustainable protein sources that will meet the needs of the nearly 10 billion people comprising the world's population in 2050.”
Bug food inches closer to mainstream
Eating insects is promoted as a climate initiative by globalist strongholds like the World Economic Forum, which anticipates the day when “we can all buy a bag of edible insects at our local grocery store.”
The NAIC is likely to significantly accelerate existing attempts to make bug food mainstream. In nearby Ontario, a $6.5 million insect protein facility houses an estimated four billion crickets and produces 13 million kilograms of cricket protein per year.
In October, Tyson Foods announced its foray into the insect protein market by partnering with Netherlands-based bug food manufacturer Protix.
In addition to a cash investment in Protix, Tyson Foods announced that the two companies have agreed to build a large facility that will be used to make bug food.
“The to-be-built facility in the U.S. will house an enclosed system to support all aspects of insect protein production including the breeding, incubating, and hatching of insect larvae,” said Tyson Foods in a statement. “In addition to ingredients for the aquaculture and pet food industries, processed larvae may also be used as ingredients within livestock and plant feed.”
Protix, which in 2015 was selected as one of the World Economic Forum’s Technology Pioneers, manufactures approximately 14,000 metric tons of bug food per year under the pretext of “fighting climate change.”
