New Cricket-Based Power Bar Seeks Acceptance Beyond Entomophagists

A small California start-up hopes its new product will appeal to more than diehard entomophagists, the name given to people who eat insects. The company has developed a power bar whose main ingredient is flour made from boiled, then roasted, crickets. The cricket flour is bolstered with flaxseed, oats, honey, sunflower seeds, apple, cinnamon and cumin. The chewy bars that result have a texture and taste similar to sesame seeds. The business owners have some obstacles to overcome before their product enters the mainstream American diet. For one thing, without a mass production infrastructure, crickets are more expensive than beef or chicken to produce.