Food pioneer from Harborough says crickets are 'miracle protein' which could 'feed the world'

A food pioneer is putting sustainability front and centre by making insect protein available to the masses.

Daniel Balderson was shocked when he discovered the environmental impact of the meat industry and set about looking for alternatives.

It was then he discovered crickets – which he says are more sustainable than plant based alternatives and perfect for growing muscle and recovery after sport.

The Oxford graduate – who previously fenced for Great Britain - was shocked at how much cricket protein cost online, and after being forced to close his business during the pandemic set his cricket protein business Okoprotein.

He said: “I’d had high blood pressure for about a year was told by the doctor to lose weight – so I changed my diet, started going to the gym and slimmed down a lot. But then I read an article about the environmental impact of the meat industry and its pretty horrific, so I started looking for alternatives I saw a lot of plant based options weren't great or sustainable either.

"Then I came across insect protein, particularly cricket. It has the nine essential amino acids we need in the right proportion for growing muscle and recovery after sport and is incredibly environmentally friendly. I thought it was a miracle food and went online to get some – but it was so expensive.

"I knew there was wasted potential there, if only someone could work out a way of bringing the price down.

"My life was turned upside down because of covid and my business had to close, so I have dedicated my time to finding a way of producing the highest quality cricket protein which will compete with the prices of any other protein out there.”

Daniel’s cricket farming journey saw him spend two years researching the viability of insect farming before purchasing some online.

He says they are cheap to product and store, with the only byproduct a dry fertiliser. He added that the insects live out 95 per cent of their natural lifespan before slaughter, unlike chickens which live out less than two per cent.

Daniel – who previously ran English language schools in China where insects are a delicacy – said: “Some people think I’m completely crazy, or some go 'that’s a really good idea'. It’s an affordable and completely sustainable with a tiny carbon footprint. It has more omega than salmon, more iron than spinach and zero disease risk to humans. It’s actually a really sensible way to feed the world.

“The system I’ve built proves there’s a better way of doing it. Using my system, this will be the cheapest protein in the world. Crickets can scale up to 500 times every two months – nothing outside the insect world can do it.”

Daniel is now launching a consumer product and preparing to supply the protein to other firms for use in their products.

He is also keen to support charities in countries with food shortages by gifting his system.

He added: “Crickets can be farmed anywhere in the world – or down the road in Market Harborough. They’ll happily live off grass.”

Visit www.okoprotein.com for more information.