Just one small objection... crickets happen to be kosher.
"Yet these you may eat among all the winged insects that walk on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to jump on the earth. These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, the devastating locust in its kinds, the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds." (Lev. 11)
But I did some reading after seeing so much "let's eat crickets" propaganda. It turns out there are health problems that go beyond the chitin. Crickets can introduce new diseases all by themselves. This from a 2021 study:
"Insects generally have high reproductive rates leading to rapid population growth and high local densities; ideal conditions for disease epidemics. The parasites and diseases that naturally regulate wild insect populations can also impact when these insects are produced commercially, on farms. While insects produced for human or animal consumption are often reared under high density conditions, very little is known about the microbes associated with these insects, particularly those with pathogenic potential.... his will become particularly relevant as-and-when cricket rearing facilities scale up and transform from producing insects for animal feed to producing insects for human consumption."
NOTE: that was published in May 2021. Entomo Farms (formerly Next Millennium Farms) in Canada was founded in 2014, and by Jan. 2021 it was already raising crickets crowded by the millions into a warm, humid enclosed space of 60,000 sq. ft. After 6-8 weeks they are harvested. No mention of checking insect health during that time.
So even though crickets are permitted for food, there are a few good reasons to avoid the mass-produced commercial version.
There are 4 kosher varieties of grasshoppers. That’s all.
Most of Jewry has lost the tradition for which varieties are permitted.
Just one small objection... crickets happen to be kosher.
"Yet these you may eat among all the winged insects that walk on all fours: those which have jointed legs above their feet with which to jump on the earth. These of them you may eat: the locust in its kinds, the devastating locust in its kinds, the cricket in its kinds, and the grasshopper in its kinds." (Lev. 11)
But I did some reading after seeing so much "let's eat crickets" propaganda. It turns out there are health problems that go beyond the chitin. Crickets can introduce new diseases all by themselves. This from a 2021 study:
"Insects generally have high reproductive rates leading to rapid population growth and high local densities; ideal conditions for disease epidemics. The parasites and diseases that naturally regulate wild insect populations can also impact when these insects are produced commercially, on farms. While insects produced for human or animal consumption are often reared under high density conditions, very little is known about the microbes associated with these insects, particularly those with pathogenic potential.... his will become particularly relevant as-and-when cricket rearing facilities scale up and transform from producing insects for animal feed to producing insects for human consumption."
NOTE: that was published in May 2021. Entomo Farms (formerly Next Millennium Farms) in Canada was founded in 2014, and by Jan. 2021 it was already raising crickets crowded by the millions into a warm, humid enclosed space of 60,000 sq. ft. After 6-8 weeks they are harvested. No mention of checking insect health during that time.
So even though crickets are permitted for food, there are a few good reasons to avoid the mass-produced commercial version.
This one’s simple. You find the FDA rules on allowable bug content in food.
Then you print up the studies showing bugs cause cancer.
Then you shop around for the best lawyers in the country.
Then you make these scumbags pay millions of dollars in lawsuit money.
Then you smear the company and CEO online, “They’re putting POISON in the food.”
And you scare every last one of these money worshiping demons into hiding.