How entrepreneurs are persuading Americans to eat bug protein

A new report by the investment bank cites the expanding market around the alternative protein source and predicts the edible bug industry could be worth $8 billion by 2030, up from a little under $1 billion just last year.
The product is already found in experimental cuisines and boasts an eco-friendly reputation. But it has yet to go mainstream, despite the proven market for meat alternatives.

The plant-based meat market generated revenue of $4.2 billion globally in 2018, driven largely by companies such as Impossible Foods and Beyond Meat.

Yum Brands’ KFC, the nation’s largest fried chicken chain, recently announced that it had struck a deal with Beyond Meat to sell 100% plant-based nuggets in more than 60 restaurants in the Charlotte, North Carolina, and Nashville markets. That limited rollout began on Jan. 29.
According to KFC, the decision to sell the nuggets, named Beyond Fried Chicken, follows what they call an “overwhelmingly successful” one-day test launch at a single Atlanta KFC in August. One week’s worth of the nuggets sold out in five hours.

Consumers are already receptive and interested in alternative protein sources beyond traditional beef, pork and chicken. Some analysts say bugs could soon follow suit and become the next big protein of the future.
The United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organization has encouraged the consumption of insects since 2013, advocating for the inclusion of insects in a daily diet, as a sustainable and nutritious alternative to resource-intensive staples such as beef, poultry and fish.

To read the full story: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/02/14/bug-protein-how-entrepreneurs-are-persuading-americans-to-eat-insects.html