Coop Switzerland has announced that it will work with start-up Essento to produce insect-based products, such as burgers and meatballs, following a decision from the national food-safety body to allow certain insects as comestibles.
The Federal Office for Food Safety and Veterinary Affairs in Switzerland has announced that the marketing of foods containing insects such as crickets and mealworms will be permitted in the spring of 2017.
"The secret of our success lies in our ability to identify trends and innovate," said Roland Frefel, manager of fresh products at Coop.
"By adding some varieties of insects to the list of ingredients in some processed products, we are building on a modern, forward-looking food industry and creating a tailor-made offer from the beginning that allows customers to discover a new world of flavours."
Two billion people in the world regularly eat insects, Coop said, and the advantages include taste, health benefits, and the promotion of sustainable development, as raising insects requires minimal water and food and produces low emissions.
Locusts taste like chicken, it claimed, and mealworms have a nutty aroma. They are also rich in protein and have essential vitamins and minerals, and unsaturated fatty acids.
Start-up Essento has been working for three years researching the 'culinary potential' of insects. It develops, produces and markets edible insect delicacies.
Coop also supports Finnish company Entocube, which raises crickets and turns them into protein powder.
© 2016 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Karen Henderson. To subscribe to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine, click here.
