Where Can You Find Edible Insects for Protein?

You can find edible insects for protein through online specialty retailers (Thailand Unique, Next Food, Bug Bazaar, ecoEat), major marketplaces like Amazon, specialty food stores, Asian grocery stores, some farmers markets, and protein bar brands like Exo and cricket powder suppliers like Entomo Farms. Most purchases happen online, with prices ranging from $15-35 for ready-to-eat insects and $20-40 for protein bars.

The world of eating insects might sound strange if you grew up in Western culture, but more than 2 billion people across the globe already include bugs in their regular diet. With growing interest in sustainable protein and the nutrition these tiny creatures pack, finding edible insects has become easier than you’d think.

Online Retailers: Your Most Reliable Source

The easiest way to get your hands on edible insects is through dedicated online stores. These businesses ship worldwide and offer everything from whole roasted crickets to cricket flour.

Thailand Unique operates one of the most established operations, manufacturing edible insects since 2003 at their HACCP-certified facility. They ship to the US, UK, Japan, and across Europe. Their selection includes house crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, and more exotic options like scorpions and tarantulas for the adventurous.

Next Food runs insect farms in Thailand and sources from a global network of farmers. They focus on quality control with strict processing standards and offer both plain insects and ready-to-eat products packaged for international export.

Bug Bazaar, based in Finland, serves as an international hub for insect products. They sell roasted crickets, mealworms, and various insect powders with shipping available to over twenty countries across three continents.

ecoEat has built a strong presence on Amazon and their own website, offering seasoned crickets, mixed bug varieties, and grasshoppers covered in dark chocolate. Their products come individually wrapped with no preservatives.

Party Bugs stands out for their wide selection of seasoned insect snacks. Unlike competitors who buy pre-seasoned products from breeders, they season their insects themselves using proprietary recipes, creating unique flavors specifically designed for social gatherings.

These online retailers typically price their products between $15-35 for bags ranging from 11g to 150g. Most insects are dehydrated or roasted, giving them a shelf life of up to 12 months when properly stored.

Amazon: Convenience at Your Fingertips

Amazon has emerged as a major marketplace for edible insects, making them accessible to anyone with a Prime membership. You’ll find dozens of brands offering everything from cricket protein bars to whole roasted insects in various flavors.

Popular products on Amazon include cricket snacks from ecoEat, HotLix Crick-ettes in flavors like Sour Cream & Onion and Bacon & Cheese, and Erbies mixed trail mixes combining crickets, grasshoppers, silkworm pupae, and sago worms. Many products qualify for Subscribe & Save, potentially saving you 15-20% on regular orders.

The platform’s review system helps you gauge product quality before buying. Many customers report that seasoned crickets taste nutty and savory, with the texture similar to roasted nuts or seeds.

Cricket Protein Bars and Powders

For those who want insect protein without the visual reminder of eating bugs, protein bars and powders provide the perfect solution.

Exo Protein creates protein bars using cricket flour (labeled as Acheta protein) from pulverized house crickets. Founded in 2014 and later acquired by Aspire Food Group, Exo bars contain around 10 grams of protein per bar and come in flavors like Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip, Blueberry Vanilla, and Apple Cinnamon. Their bars are dairy-free, gluten-free, and nut-free (except the peanut butter varieties). You can find them on Amazon and through their website, with prices around $2.66-3.00 per bar.

Chapul appeared on Shark Tank and secured backing from Mark Cuban. Their bars feature cricket flour combined with dates, nuts, and various flavors. Though the company temporarily paused bar production to focus on farming operations in Indonesia, they’re expected to return to the market.

Entomo Farms in Canada supplies cricket powder to both consumers and businesses. Their operation maintains extremely clean standards, feeding insects a basic grain diet with no pesticides, insecticides, or medications. Surprisingly, they’ve found that whole seasoned insects sell better than expected, suggesting people are more open-minded about eating visible bugs than initially predicted.

Cricket protein powder works similarly to whey protein but offers a more complete nutritional profile. It contains all nine essential amino acids, vitamin B12, and acts as a natural prebiotic for gut health. The powder can be mixed into smoothies, baked into goods, or used in protein shakes.

Asian Grocery Stores and Specialty Markets

If you live near Asian communities, local grocery stores often stock edible insects, particularly in areas with Thai, Vietnamese, or Chinese populations.

Thailand leads the world in cricket breeding and has established Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) guidelines specifically for insect farming. Thai markets offer wriggling and still beetles, crickets, ants, caterpillars, and cicadas, with popular items including bamboo caterpillars, giant water bugs, and red ant eggs.

In North America and Europe, you might find insects in the frozen or dried goods sections of Asian markets. These products typically cost less than online specialty retailers but require you to know what you’re looking for. Don’t expect packaging with English labels or detailed cooking instructions.

Some restaurants in multicultural areas also serve insects as part of authentic cuisine. At Akkee, a Michelin-starred restaurant in Bangkok, chef Sittikorn “Ou” Chantop incorporates insects into fine dining, demonstrating how bugs can transition from street food to gourmet plates.

Farmers Markets and Local Sources

Finding edible insects at farmers markets remains hit or miss in Western countries. While some progressive markets in cities like Austin, Texas (home to Little Herds, a non-profit promoting edible insects) occasionally feature insect vendors, they’re not yet common.

Your best bet for local sourcing involves directly contacting insect farmers in your region. Many cricket and mealworm farms initially started supplying the pet food industry but now also sell to human consumers. A quick internet search for “cricket farm near me” or “edible insect farm [your state/region]” might reveal options you didn’t know existed.

The advantage of buying local includes fresher products, the ability to ask questions about farming practices, and supporting sustainable agriculture in your community. However, availability remains limited compared to online options.

Specialty Food Stores and Health Food Markets

Traditional grocery chains have been slow to embrace edible insects, but some specialty and health food stores are starting to carry insect-based products.

Whole Foods has an interesting relationship with edible insects. Reports suggest the company pulled insect products from shelves not due to lack of interest but to develop formal approval procedures for this new food category. Sources indicate that selected Whole Foods regions had unilaterally started stocking bug-based products before Whole Foods Global had developed standards for approving them, leading the company to step back until it could establish core approval standards.

MOM’s Organic Market in the northeastern United States dedicated an entire section to edible insect products to test consumer demand, showing that some retailers are willing to experiment with this category.

Sprouts Farmers Market and other health-conscious chains have stocked cricket bars and protein powders in some locations, though availability varies by region. Your best approach involves calling ahead to ask if they carry insect products rather than making a wasted trip.

What Types of Insects Can You Buy?

The variety of available edible insects might surprise you. While crickets and mealworms dominate the market, you can find:

Crickets (most common) – House crickets and field crickets come roasted, seasoned, or ground into flour. They taste nutty with a slightly earthy flavor.

Mealworms – The larvae of darkling beetles, these have a mild, nutty taste and crunchy texture when roasted. They work well as salad toppers or snacks.

Grasshoppers and Locusts – Often sold as “chapulines” in Mexican markets, these offer a satisfying crunch and can be seasoned with lime, chili, or salt.

Ants – Particularly black ants and weaver ants, which add a tangy, almost citrusy flavor to dishes.

Silkworms – Popular in Asian cuisine, these have a unique taste and substantial protein content.

Bamboo Worms – The larvae of bamboo borers, these resemble corn puffs and have a mild flavor.

Giant Water Bugs – These large insects have a musky scent resembling blue cheese and are particularly popular in Thai cuisine.

Superworms – Larger than mealworms, these offer a healthy protein source with a crunchy texture.

More exotic options include scorpions, tarantulas, diving beetles, and various beetle larvae, though these typically come from specialty retailers rather than mainstream sources.

The Nutritional Reality Behind Insect Protein

Understanding why people eat insects requires looking at their nutritional profile compared to traditional proteins.

One typical serving of grasshoppers or crickets contains 14 to 28 grams of protein, approximately the same amount as in a serving of chicken or beef. But the comparison goes deeper than just protein quantity.

Adult Tenebrio molitor (mealworms) contain 24.13 g/100 g protein, while larval forms of Tenebrio molitor contain 25.0 g/100 g, and Gonimbrasia belina larvae contain 35.2 g/100 g protein, whereas poultry breast muscles, beef sirloin, and horse meat contain 19.2-21.5 g/100 g.

Research comparing insects to meat using nutrient profiling models designed to combat both over-nutrition and under-nutrition found interesting results. The Nutrient Value Score assigned crickets, palm weevil larvae and mealworm a significantly healthier score than beef and chicken, with no insects scoring statistically less healthy than meat.

However, nutritional composition varies wildly between insect species. Palm weevil larvae contain significantly more fat than most meat products, making them less suitable for people concerned about over-nutrition. Crickets and mealworms, on the other hand, provide excellent nutrition without excessive fat.

Insects contain higher levels of tocopherol, riboflavin, and vitamin C than meat, and many insect species contain substantially more iron than poultry meat. Some insects also provide dietary fiber, which meat completely lacks.

The protein in cricket flour contains all nine essential amino acids, making it a complete protein source comparable to eggs or dairy. It also acts as a natural prebiotic, supporting gut health in ways that animal proteins don’t.

Price Points and Value Considerations

Edible insects aren’t cheap, at least not yet. Ready-to-eat seasoned crickets typically cost $15-25 for a small bag (15-30g), working out to roughly $500-800 per kilogram. Cricket protein bars run $2.50-3.50 per bar, similar to premium protein bars but more expensive than basic options.

Cricket flour and protein powder cost approximately $30-50 per pound, comparable to premium whey protein but significantly more than basic protein supplements.

Why the high price? Several factors contribute:

The edible insect industry remains relatively small, without the economies of scale that industrial meat production enjoys. Farming operations are still perfecting automated processes. Cricket farms need controlled environments, proper feed, and careful handling.

Quality control adds costs. Reputable suppliers maintain HACCP certification, GMP standards, and rigorous testing to ensure food safety. These standards protect consumers but increase production expenses.

Processing and packaging also factor in. Insects must be properly euthanized, cleaned, cooked, and preserved. Many producers use energy-efficient methods like solar drying, but these processes still require investment.

Despite current prices, insect protein offers better environmental value than traditional meat. Producing a kilo of insects requires only 2 kilos of food, whereas producing one kilo of beef requires 8 kg of food. Crickets also need minimal water and produce far less greenhouse gas than cattle.

As the industry grows and production scales up, prices should decrease. The global edible insects market is expected to reach USD 4.38 billion by 2030, expanding at a CAGR of 25.1% over the forecast period, suggesting that increased demand will drive down costs through improved efficiency.

Regulations and Food Safety

The regulatory landscape for edible insects varies dramatically by region.

In the United States, insect protein currently falls under the FDA’s general human and animal food regulations, with the FDA commenting that “bugs/insects are considered food if that is the intended use”. No specific regulations exist for edible insects beyond standard food safety requirements.

This means that as long as insects are raised specifically for food, properly processed, and meet general food safety standards, they can be sold for human consumption. The FDA essentially treats them like any other food ingredient.

Canada doesn’t consider insects novel foods, so no lengthy approval process exists for production or sale. This regulatory friendliness has helped companies like Entomo Farms thrive.

Europe has taken a more structured approach. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) approves specific insect species as novel food ingredients. The European Food Safety Authority approved beetles as a novel food ingredient in 2023, and other species have received similar approvals.

Asia leads in both consumption and regulatory frameworks. South Korea approved mealworms and crickets (specifically Gryllus bimaculatus) as edible insects in 2016, and Thailand published Good Agricultural Practice guidelines for cricket farming in 2017.

In August 2024, the Singapore Food Agency approved 16 insect species for consumption, including locusts, grasshoppers, mealworms, and many species of beetles.

When buying edible insects, look for products from certified facilities with proper food safety documentation. Reputable suppliers will clearly state where their insects come from and how they’re processed.

The Sustainability Advantage

Environmental concerns drive much of the interest in edible insects as a protein source.

Traditional livestock farming consumes enormous resources. Cattle require vast amounts of land, water, and feed while producing significant greenhouse gases. As global population heads toward 9 billion by 2050, these resource demands become increasingly unsustainable.

Insects offer a dramatically different environmental profile. Insect farming uses significantly less land, water, and energy than traditional livestock, while emitting fewer greenhouse gases and generating minimal waste, and cricket droppings serve as excellent natural fertilizer.

Water usage provides a stark contrast. Producing a pound of beef protein requires 1,700 to 2,500 gallons of water. Cricket farming needs only a fraction of that, as insects get most of their water from their food.

Space requirements differ dramatically as well. Cattle farming requires 50 to 200 m² of space to produce 1 kg of protein, while insect farming requires only 5 to 15 m² to produce the same amount.

Feed conversion rates heavily favor insects. Producing 1 kg of beef requires 10 kg of herbs, but this same quantity of plants produces 8 to 9 kg of insects and thus 8 to 9 times more protein.

Greenhouse gas emissions from insect farming prove minimal compared to cattle, which produce substantial methane. This difference matters increasingly as climate change concerns intensify.

Insects can also be raised on organic waste from food processing, creating circular economy opportunities where waste becomes valuable protein. This approach reduces landfill usage while producing food.

Consumer Acceptance: The Real Challenge

Despite nutritional and environmental advantages, consumer acceptance remains the biggest hurdle for edible insects in Western markets.

In the United States, most people view insects as pests or carriers of diseases, and the thought of eating them is met with skepticism, repulsion, and a considerable ‘ick’ factor.

This cultural bias runs deep. Western societies developed in colder climates where insects were less abundant and viewed primarily as agricultural pests rather than food sources. Meanwhile, cultures in Africa, Asia, and Latin America have maintained insect consumption traditions for millennia.

Interestingly, research shows that familiarity breeds acceptance. A study of US adults found that those who had previously consumed insects showed higher willingness to buy mealworm products, and more than one third of participants had eaten insects.

Age plays a significant role in acceptance rates. Younger adults had significantly higher willingness to buy insect products than adults aged 35 or older, suggesting that as younger consumers grow into their buying power, insect protein may gain broader acceptance.

The format matters tremendously. Mealworm protein was most appealing when served in protein bars and restaurant dishes, indicating two potential entry points on the path to consumer adoption. Products that hide insects in familiar formats face less resistance than whole insects.

Many successful insect food companies focus on powder forms specifically because they avoid the visual “ick factor.” When cricket flour appears in a protein bar or smoothie, consumers focus on nutrition rather than the source.

Exposure through trendy restaurants and social media also helps normalize insect consumption. When influential chefs incorporate insects into high-end cuisine, it shifts perception from “gross” to “gourmet.”

How to Start Your Insect Protein Journey

If you’re curious about trying edible insects but not sure where to begin, here’s a practical approach:

Start with familiar formats. Cricket protein bars or cricket flour in baked goods lets you experience insect protein without confronting the visual aspect. Exo bars taste like regular protein bars, and cricket flour baked into cookies or brownies becomes essentially invisible.

Try seasoned whole insects. When you’re ready to see what you’re eating, start with small, seasoned crickets or mealworms. Choose familiar flavors like BBQ, sour cream and onion, or salt and vinegar. Many people compare the taste to roasted nuts or seeds.

Order a sampler pack. Several online retailers offer variety packs combining different insects and flavors. This approach lets you discover preferences without committing to large quantities of a single product.

Cook with cricket flour. Replace 10-20% of regular flour in recipes with cricket flour. This adds protein and nutrients without dramatically changing taste or texture. Pancakes, muffins, and protein balls work particularly well.

Join the community. Online forums and social media groups dedicated to entomophagy provide recipe ideas, product recommendations, and support from others exploring insect protein.

Consider the environmental impact. Sometimes knowing that your food choice significantly reduces environmental harm makes the “ick factor” easier to overcome.

Don’t force it. If insects aren’t for you, that’s completely fine. Plant-based proteins and sustainably raised conventional meats can also meet nutrition needs with reduced environmental impact.

What the Future Holds

The edible insect industry stands at an interesting crossroads. Environmental pressures, population growth, and resource constraints point toward insects as a logical protein source. Yet cultural barriers in Western markets remain substantial.

The edible insects market was valued at USD 1.9 Billion in 2024, with projections to reach USD 7.2 Billion by 2033, exhibiting a CAGR of 15.51%. This growth suggests increasing acceptance, though much of it comes from Asian markets where insect consumption already has cultural acceptance.

In 2024, the United States holds 74.5% of the edible insects market in North America, driven by increasing demand for high-protein alternatives and awareness about sustainable food sources.

Technology improvements continue making insect farming more efficient and cost-effective. Automated feeding systems, vertical farming techniques, and AI-driven monitoring reduce costs while improving product consistency.

Major food companies watch from the sidelines, funding startups rather than directly entering the market. As consumer acceptance grows and regulatory frameworks solidify, expect larger players to enter the space with significant resources and distribution networks.

The key to mainstream adoption likely lies in continued innovation around formats that minimize the “ick factor” while maximizing convenience and taste. Cricket flour in familiar foods, insect-based meat alternatives, and gourmet preparations that celebrate insects as ingredients rather than hiding them all play important roles.

Making Your Purchase Decision

When you’re ready to buy edible insects for protein, consider these factors:

Source and quality. Look for suppliers with proper certifications (HACCP, GMP, GAP). Check where insects are farmed and what they’re fed. Reputable suppliers provide this information transparently.

Product format. Decide whether you want whole insects, protein powder, or prepared products like bars. Your comfort level and intended use should guide this choice.

Price versus value. While insect products cost more than conventional protein, consider the environmental benefits and nutritional profile when evaluating value.

Allergies. People with shellfish allergies may react to insects, as both contain chitin. If you have shellfish allergies, consult a doctor before trying insect products.

Taste preferences. Read reviews to understand flavor profiles. Some insects taste neutral, others nutty, and some have distinctive flavors. Seasonings dramatically affect taste.

Shelf life. Most dried insects last 6-12 months when properly stored. Protein bars typically have shorter shelf lives of 2-3 months.

Finding What Works for You

The question “where can you find edible insects for protein?” has a straightforward answer: they’re more available than ever through online retailers, Amazon, specialty stores, and specific brands like Exo. But the more important question might be “should you try them?”

That depends entirely on your goals, comfort level, and values. If you’re passionate about reducing your environmental footprint, curious about alternative proteins, or simply adventurous with food, edible insects offer a legitimate option worth exploring.

Start small, begin with formats you find least intimidating, and remember that more than 2 billion people worldwide already include insects in their diets. You’re not eating something weird; you’re joining a global tradition that Western culture temporarily moved away from.

The infrastructure for purchasing edible insects continues improving. As the market grows and prices decrease, what seems novel today may become normal tomorrow. Whether you dive in now or wait to see how the industry evolves, understanding where and how to access insect protein gives you options as our food system continues changing to meet sustainability challenges.

The insects are out there, farmed sustainably and shipped worldwide, waiting for curious consumers ready to look past cultural conditioning and discover what billions of people already know: bugs make pretty good protein.