NEW PROTEINS ▶▶▶
The benefits of using grasshoppers for animal nutrition
Zero-waste farming, very low GHG emissions, and a low water footprint make grasshoppers a sustainable source of protein, but that’s not all.
BY REBECCA KWAKMAN, CONTENT MANAGER, ALL ABOUT FEED A
s the animal feed industry explores new protein sources to ensure the sector’s sustainability, insect feed is growing in popularity. Current research demonstrates the benefits of using insects for ani-
mal nutrition and, after the black soldier fly and housefly lar- vae, a new player is entering the field: the grasshopper. Dror Tamir, co-founder and CEO of Hargol, the world’s first com- mercial grasshopper farm, tells us more. “Hargol was founded in 2016 with a vision to deliver a healthier protein,” says Tamir. “This is healthier for humans and the environment, it’s safer, and it’s more efficient. Grasshoppers are nature’s most effi- cient protein source and there’s a long tradition across the globe of it being the world’s most widely-eaten insect.”
Grasshoppers: From pest to feed protein “As a young boy in Israel, I heard stories from my grandpar- ents about the locust swarms [a grasshopper subspecies] that Israel suffered from in the 1950s. They would run into the fields to scare the grasshoppers away, while at the same time they saw other Jews coming into the fields and eating the grasshoppers – this is where I learned that grasshoppers are both a food for many and that they are also kosher!” Tamir ex- plains. A more recent swarm prompted scientists in Pakistan to come up with a way to turn the critters into chicken feed. Tamir’s company may just be onto something big. Whereas the company has thus far focused mainly on farming grass- hoppers for human consumption, they are now turning their attention to animal feed, starting with pet food.
Sustainable option for pet food “Today, pets and the pet food industry suffer from two major problems: it’s a polluting industry which uses unsustainable animal-based protein sources, and obesity and diabetes have become an epidemic,” Tamir continues. “Grasshoppers are a sustainable protein source, reducing greenhouse gas emis- sions by 99%, water consumption 1,000-fold, and arable land usage 1,500-fold, all while providing an ingredient with over 70% complete protein.” Furthermore, Tamir adds that grass- hoppers are a healthy option as well, reducing body fat and improving the metabolism by reducing sugar and cholesterol levels faster. “You have to remember that grasshoppers are the natural food of most pets!”
Dror Tamir, CEO of Hargol FoodTech: “Grasshoppers are a sustainable protein source, reducing greenhouse gas emissions, water consumption and arable land usage, all while providing an ingredient containing over 70% complete protein.”
30 ▶ ALL ABOUT FEED | Volume 29, No. 1, 2021
Commercial production of grasshoppers “Because no one was able to intensively farm grasshoppers on a commercial scale, we had to develop everything from scratch: breeding, feeding, fattening and harvesting,” Tamir continues. “We produce the final product through joint ven- tures with food producers across the globe. Now, as we are
PHOTOS: DROR TAMIR, HARGOL FOODTECH
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