Auchan Retail Portugal has introduced Portugal Bugs to its stores, a range of food products made using insects.
The novelty is being showcased at 'Future Taste', a new exhibition space at the Auchan Alfagide store that will serve to present new food trends and innovative products to consumers, providing them with additional information and benefits of consuming such products.
Launched in 2017, Portugal Bugs, the first company to participate in Auchan's 'Future Taste' space, is the first Portuguese company to market and develop insect-based food products.
Rival retailer Continente unveiled a range of products from Portugal Bugs back in August.
Portugal Bugs Range
Currently, the Portugal Bugs range includes insect snacks, protein pasta and protein insect flour.
Rich in fibre, minerals, vitamins and essential fatty acids, insects have proven to be an excellent source of protein that, when compared to other animal protein sources, has the advantage of having a lower environmental impact, since they have a smaller water footprint and lower greenhouse gas emissions.
Furthermore, the reduced feed consumption also results in less dependence on fertile soils.
The insects are raised under controlled temperature and humidity conditions and are fed on a bran basis. By-products from the food industry, such as brewer's yeast or cereal waste, can also be used.
Last June, Portugal’s Directorate General for Food and Veterinary (DGAV) authorised, under the European Novel Food Regulation, the marketing of seven species of insects for food production, among them two species of crickets, two species of larvae, two species of grasshoppers and a beetle species.
© 2021 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
