Making insect protein affordable
"Ever hear how cows have 4 stomachs? It's because they evolved to use nutrients from grass that we can't. The same is true of crickets: there are proteins in plant matter which we can't use directly, but which they turn into protein we can digest."
Why is Oko the world's most sustainable protein?
A bold claim indeed. Here are the facts, so you can form your own informed opinion.
At a glance
Meat vs. Oko
Oko is protein concentrated from crickets. Crickets represent a fantastic input to output ratio and have a tiny environmental footprint.
The plague!
Bird flu, swine flu, mad cow disease, Covid 19... these all came from animals! Notice anything interesting? None of them came from insects!
There are no viruses which can pass from crickets to humans, so they are super safe, even when farmed under intensive conditions.
Isn't it time we thought about our food supply?
Plant vs. Oko
For years, products such as soy protein and almond milk have been marketed as healthy, ethical, sustainable alternatives to animal products. The reality, unfortunately, is quite different.
Half the world's soy is grown in just two countries: Brazil and Argentina. Rain forest is cut down, which is bad enough, but the horrific truth is worse than just this. Soy needs more alkaline soil than most plants, so acid neutralizing lime is sprayed all over the cleared land. This makes it impossible for forest rejuvenation. The ecosystem is destroyed, and the water cycle along with it. Often, only two years after harvest, the land is barren and unable to grow anything, so more forest is then cut down. From forest to desert.
Vast swathes of the Amazon have been rendered barren due to soybean farming
Just because you're not consuming an animal product, it doesn't mean you're not doing immense harm to animals. It's hard to see anything living in a Californian almond farm. Despite the blossom on the trees, the incredible quantities of pesticides, insecticides, anti fungal sprays and other chemicals required to sustain massive monocultures means even the bees can't survive, and farmers must transport bees across the country just to pollinate their crop.
The ecosystem here has been ruined, and that's even before the almonds have been shipped across the Atlantic.
Oko, on the other hand, is completely sustainable. It uses a tiny amount of land and crickets can be fed on almost anything grown locally. Ever hear how cows have 4 stomachs? It's because they evolved to use nutrients from grass that we can't. The same is true of crickets: there are proteins in plant matter which we can't use directly, but which they turn into protein we can digest.
