Last updated on February 22nd, 2017 at 03:21 pm
Mom’s Organic Market is introducing a selection of sustainable insect proteins to its store in Washington, D.C.’s, Ivy City neighborhood.
The family-owned and -operated retailer says its interest in entomophagy was spurred by a trip to Mexico’s La Merced Market. There, Mom’s VP of Produce and Grocery Lisa de Lima and VP of Wellness Steve Geest were “astonished by the developed flavor of the vendors’ escamoles (ant larvae). They left knowing these versatile and varied proteins had to be featured on MOM’s shelves,” according to a press release from the grocer.
After launching Sustainable Protein sections at Mom’s locations in Baltimore and White Marsh, Maryland, and Cherry Hill, New Jersey, the grocer has added to its Ivy City store items such as:
• Cricket or mealworm Bolognese sauce;
• Cricket cookies, snack bars and chips;
• Whole, flavored mealworms and crickets—available to purchase in bulk; and
• Cricket or mealworm protein powder.
In addition to “the appealing textures and applications of these proteins,” Mom’s says it was compelled to offer an alternative protein because of its comparatively small environmental footprint.
“Not only are items containing insects incredibly nutritious, they can also have a positive impact on our global food supply,” said de Lima. “Insects release fewer greenhouse gases than livestock and require a lot less space and water to raise.”
All Mom’s stores will offer a Sustainable Protein tasting from 11 a.m.-1p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25.
