Fried insects, or foods made from insects, might not yet make up the main menu items for everyone today. However, insects will feed the world in the future. Many are already aware of this, but they don't have to wait to eat insects in the future. We are already eating them today, and Thailand is one of the world's top exporters of insects. As the global trend is already headed in this direction, and we are a major producer of the ingredients in the trend, they are easy to find at low cost. The ingredients are available year-round and are known to have world-class quality. So why not take this opportunity? If restaurant owners use this as their restaurants' creative selling points and promote their products with the right target groups, we guarantee that foreigners, whether Chinese, Japanese, European or American, will surely visit their restaurants. And with the world interested and in full support of this idea, how many Thai people will not be proud of insect menu items and support them, too?

When we think of fried insects, we often think of food carts or stalls selling in the provinces. However, if we bring insects into our restaurants and attractively decorate them, we are sure to be able to market them.

Data from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) and a book published by the Traditional Thai Medicine Institute titled "Insects, Food of the Future" compiled a list of seasonally-available insects in Thailand to ensure future food security. Insects that can be raised year-round are included.

The United Nations (UN) reported that, by A.D. 2050 or B.E. 2593, the global population will reach 9.7 billion people and the world's total food supply will have to double to meet demands. However, there isn't enough arable land, and one-third of all currently available arable land is used for livestock, while forest areas and water supplies are just as limited. So, insects can become a source of protein in place of livestock, because insects offer high-quality protein.

For popular products made from insects, the insects are often made into starch and prepared in various foods such as bread, biscuits, cookies, muffins, desserts, soups, smoothies, chips and pasta. Most of these foods are made from crickets and mealworms. So, 100 grams of starch made from insects contains protein at up to 50%, whereas animal proteins offer only 30%. Importantly, insects require very few materials and produce very little pollution. And insect farming releases lower levels of greenhouse gases than other types of farming. Moreover, insects can be grown to produce gluten-free foods for the many people who are allergic to gluten these days. And that's not all. Insects can also be processed into various other products such as bake-dried insect powder for sprinkling on foods or cakes or for use as a noodle ingredient.

 

Although Thailand is a global production source of insects, we as entrepreneurs are not always going to find high quality sources with good prices and consistency. Therefore, Makro offers a variety of frozen insects entrepreneurs can buy in and out of season for use as main ingredients at their restaurants. The insects sold by Makro undergo selection and packaging processes that ensure cleanliness, so entrepreneurs and consumers can have confidence that they will receive fresh, clean and safe products when using insects in cooking.

We would like to thank the following for their illustrations:
https://goodlifeupdate.com/healthy-food/recipe/40524.html
Facebook: Suan Kluay Kafae, Tao Than Kho Khun Pone Yang Kham, Soi Matina Hotel
Facebook: Malaeng Thod, Obkrob, Saeb Haeng