Guest column: Why Canadians aren’t ready to trade steak for crickets

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By: Sylvain Charlebois

Canada is home to the largest cricket farm in the world, located in London, Ontario. Aspire Food Group, a leader in insect agriculture, launched its 150,000-square-foot facility in 2022 with much promise.

Yet, just two years later, the company has laid off 100 of its 150 employees, raising questions about the viability of insect farming in Canada. While the facility produces crickets as a pet food additive domestically, most of its output is shipped to South Korea for human consumption.

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Layoffs are devastating for the individuals involved, but Aspire’s struggles highlight broader challenges for the insect farming industry. While insect-based protein has been hailed as a sustainable alternative, it has yet to establish itself as a meaningful part of Canada’s food landscape.

Sustainability concerns and the need to address greenhouse gas emissions in agriculture are real, but cultural barriers and market realities remain significant obstacles.

Crickets offer undeniable environmental advantages. Compared to traditional livestock, they produce up to 30-60 times less carbon dioxide-equivalent emissions, require minimal water, land, and feed, and are considered one of the most sustainable protein sources. Yet, the road to consumer acceptance is fraught with challenges.

The “yuck factor” associated with eating insects remains a powerful deterrent for many Canadians, making it difficult to see insects as a viable dietary choice.

Public perception hasn’t been helped by government involvement. Aspire’s facility received $8.5 million in funding to cover much of its construction costs, sparking criticism about why taxpayers subsidized a project that, so far, does not feed Canadians. While this could change in the future, the current reliance on export markets reinforces skepticism about the industry’s local benefits.

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Meanwhile, conspiracy theories surrounding insect consumption have gained traction. Some claim a globalist agenda to replace traditional proteins with bugs, despite no evidence supporting such claims. Still, government actions, like the public funding of Aspire’s facility, inadvertently fuel mistrust.

Insects are a resource-efficient protein source, but food is deeply tied to culture and tradition.

Changing protein preferences is a gradual process, and it’s unlikely that insects will significantly displace meat or dairy in Canadian diets anytime soon. Meat consumption remains culturally entrenched, and demand for traditional animal proteins is expected to remain strong for the foreseeable future.

While supporting innovative projects like insect farming, Canada must also focus on making traditional protein production more sustainable. Initiatives like the Canadian Roundtable for Sustainable Beef, which aims to cut sector emissions by a third by 2030, demonstrate how technology and innovation can improve the environmental performance of existing industries.

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In New Zealand, researchers are developing a vaccine to reduce methane emissions from cattle, showcasing another promising pathway for reducing agriculture’s carbon footprint without requiring radical shifts in dietary habits.

A balanced approach is more practical and aligns better with consumer preferences. Canadians are motivated to make environmentally conscious choices, but expecting widespread adoption of insect-based proteins is unrealistic in the near term.

Emphasizing improvements in both traditional and alternative protein production will help create a more sustainable food system that respects cultural norms while addressing climate change.

Aspire’s struggles serve as a reminder of the complexities involved in transforming food systems. While insect farming has potential, its success in Canada will depend on bridging the gap between sustainability goals, cultural realities, and market demand.

Sylvain Charlebois is a professor and senior director of the Agri-Food Analytics Lab at Dalhousie University and co-host of The Food Professor podcast.

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