Coop Switzerland is to commence the sale burgers and meatballs comprised from ingredients derived from insects, such as mealworm.
The two products have been developed and produced by start-up Essento and will be available from 21 August in seven selected Coop supermarkets (in Lugano, Basel, Bern, Winterthur, Zurich, Geneva and Lausanne) and on the Coop@home service.
The offer will then gradually be expanded over the year, to include an increasing number of retail outlets and products.
The burgers, in addition to mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), contain rice and vegetables such as carrot, celery and leek, as well as several spices such as oregano and chilies.
The insect-based meatballs, also based on larvae flour, include chick peas, onions, garlic, coriander and parsley.
Positive Effects
According to Essento co-founder Christian Bärtsch, the use of insects for food preparation is positive in many aspects. “Their culinary potential is extremely large, the production safeguards their resources and they have very satisfactory nutritional values," he said.
Essento develops, produces and markets edible insect products, designed for both retail and gourmet food. The company is also committed to raising awareness of the population on this issue, regularly organising insect-based dinners and cookery classes.
According to a spokesman for the Federal Office of Food and Veterinary Safety, Switzerland is the first country in Europe to have authorised insect consumption as food. The Swiss law, in fact, authorises from 1 May the human consumption of three species of insects – crickets (Acheta domesticus), grasshoppers (Locusta migratoria) and mealworm.
© 2017 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest retail news. Article by Branislav Pekic. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: The European Supermarket Magazine
