Are crickets the protein of the future? 

This week, students at St Philips got the chance to try chocolate milkshakes with a secret ingredient; cricket protein powder.

These milkshakes were made by a Year 11 Agriculture class who are completing a practical report looking at whether students and teachers would be open to consuming crickets as an alternative protein source. 

Crickets are an excellent source of protein as seen in the image to left. They use a lot less resources when being farmed than cattle E.g., less water, food and land. They also have a much shorter lifecycle and can be harvested regularly leading to a high yield. 

Crickets naturally inhabit a wide variety of habitats around the world, unlike many types of livestock that have specific geographical requirements. Crickets also produce fewer greenhouse gases; one study found that broiler chickens were associated with 89% higher greenhouse gas emissions than crickets. 

Linda Tsai

Head of Science