In Swiss grocery, insect burgers a feature, not a bug
GENEVA — Swallow deeply, pinch the nose and repeat the mantra: “Tastes like beef, tastes likes beef.” Then bite into the burger of rice, chopped vegetables, spices and mealworm larvae.
The Swiss supermarket chain Coop, to a bit of domestic hoopla, has begun selling burgers made from insects. It’s being billed as a legal first in Europe, a continent more accustomed to steak, sausage, poultry and fish as a source of protein.
The goal is to convince leery consumers to try a nutritious, if unusual food that “preserves the planet’s resources,” Coop says.
About one-third of the burger is mealworm larvae. A burger weighing 3.5 ounces has .35 ounces of protein in it — about the same amount found in a child’s-size beef burger.
Only seven of Coop’s nearly 2,500 stores in Switzerland are serving up the critters concocted by the Zurich-based food startup Essento. The chain says the insect products have been flying off shelves during their limited rollout in the Alpine nation and a broader launch is planned by year’s end.
Insect promoters say Switzerland isn’t the first European country to allow retail sales, just the first to have those sales so clearly authorized. A change in law in May allows the sale of three types of insects: mealworm larvae, house crickets and migratory locusts.
“It’s the first time that a state has authorized human consumption of insects in such a firm, explicit way in Europe,” said Christophe Derrien, chief of the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed.
Insects can be found on the shelves in Belgium, Britain, Denmark and the Netherlands, but that’s because of a “legal void” in European Union rules, he said.
But new legislation taking effect in January will smooth the way for bug burgers to turn up on picnic plates across the EU.
The chain says it has a policy of not releasing sales numbers, but spokeswoman Andrea Bergmann said the insect burgers “have been very successful from day one and have been sold out quickly everywhere.”
The burger has little white specks of rice inside with traces of carrot, paprika, chili powder and pepper. After a hesitant bite, the main flavors that come out are the spices. The texture is curious, a bit like a meaty falafel with a crunch.