Mealworms

Mealworm nutrition

Mealworms really high in protein, between 50-70% when they are roasted. In comparison, chicken, beef and pork contain 20-30% protein. They also contain small amounts of most other minerals and vitamins necessary for humans. 

Being in a juvenile life stage, mealworms have a higher fat to protein ration compared to crickets and ants. They contain similar protein and omega 3 levels as beef, but are much higher in omega 6 and lower in saturated fats. 

As with all insects, mealworms outer layer acts as an important prebiotic fibre for gut health - something you won’t find in any traditional meats or other food with comparable protein. Prebiotic foods are not absorbed into our gut, but instead provide a food source for the healthy bacteria living in our gut. 

Small environmental footprint 

While most of the statistics comparing insect footprint to traditional livestock are from crickets, mealworms and other insects are raised with similar methods an attest to the same benefits. They require very little land (farmed boxes can also be stacked), can survive a range of diverse conditions and feed, require negligible amounts of water compared to traditional livestock, produce very small amounts of greenhouse gases and have a great feed conversion ratio.

Solving waste problems… and breaking down plastic

Being extremely versatile, mealworms can be fed a huge array of agricultural waste products and still become a safe and nutritious feed source. 

A study published in 2015 by Stanford and Chinese researchers showed that mealworms even have the ability to eat and break down polystyrene! They deduced that the mealworm’s microbiome could break these plastics down into biodegradable waste and may have future commercial applications.