ARE YOUR PRODUCTS ENTOVEGAN APPROVED?

Since I started the Entovegan journey, one problem that I’ve encountered repeatedly are insect products which are good, but not actually –gulp– Entovegan.

Whether they contain whey protein, or eggs, or other dairy, I began realizing that just because a product uses and promotes insects, doesn’t mean that I can consume it as an Entovegan.

So the idea has been percolating for a while to create an Entovegan Certified Seal of Approval for products based on insect nutrition, which actually are free of dairy, eggs, and other non-insect animal ingredients. In other words, insect-based products which are truly Entovegan.

Additionally, many insect products are actually much less sustainable than they could be – and this is another extremely important criteria for the Entovegan framework.

Transparency in the origins of the ingredients and the carbon footprint of the processing and supply chain will also be factors in certification. It’s important for me to use and promote products which only have the most sustainable ingredients and processing, and of course fit within the Entovegan framework.

That doesn’t mean that I won’t show love or give a shout-out to insect-based products which aren’t Entovegan – because I think most insect products deserve recognition and support! And there’s a place for insect-based products in every diet, including those of meat-eaters. Maybe especially in the diet of meat eaters!

But I want to make sure that I’m only using products which fit my criteria, and that anyone who wants to follow the Entovegan dietary framework has a readily available list of insect products to choose from.

If you haven’t had a chance to read the long overview of why I came up with Entovegan Certified, and how I believe it can benefit the industry, you can read the introductory post here.

THE 3 BIGGEST REASONS

1. I want to know that what I’m eating and promoting, fits my dietary framework AND is truly sustainable – and I want other consumers to be able to trust what they’re buying as well
2. I want to help the companies that are transparent, sustainable, and nutritious to become leaders in the industry and examples for others to follow 
3. I want to see the insects as food and feed industry grow to its full potential in the coming years, and in order to do that, companies will need to demonstrate with verifiable, traceable data that insects are the world’s ultimate sustainable superfood

I will note again here that I will continue to support all insect products, even if they’re using dairy or eggs etc. After all, most of the baked goods and restaurant dishes using insects probably aren’t going to be entovegan (yet). And that’s ok – I do want everyone to eat insect products, regardless of their diet. 

But in order for me to stay true to what I honestly believe is the most sustainable + healthy diet on the planet, the products which I personally actively promote will need to meet the Entovegan criteria.

DEFINING AN ENTOVEGAN PRODUCT

The most important criteria for Entovegan Certified at this early stage are:

1. Ingredients – they should be plant-based vegan + insects. This means no dairy, no eggs, no non-insect animal products. 
2. Sustainability – from the feed inputs through the farming, processing, and supply chain, the more data, transparency, and traceability, the better! Of course, what is realistic in terms of the supply chain right now, will probably be less than the whole picture. But step by step we can build it into your products and as a part of your brand story – and regardless of whether the consumer is Entovegan or a carnivore, that story of verifiable sustainability is going to have an impact.
3. Truly nutritious – look, I’m after superfood nutrition with my insect intake, and I don’t want to have to eat 14 servings to get it. Yes, I understand insect ingredients are still expensive, and that mashing a huge amount of cricket powder into the mix drastically changes the flavor profile. But food is fuel for me and for many healthy early adopters like me – it’s better to pack in more nutrition with a slightly earthy taste, than to proclaim we’re saving the planet and improving our health, when there’s actually an inconsequential amount of insects in the product.

Practically speaking, there’s also going to have to be trust involved – for the lab testing, the nutritional values, the sustainability data, etc. I’m not asking to be Big Brother here with anybody’s proprietary info!

I just want to know with some measure of certainty, that what I’m eating and/or promoting is the real deal in terms of stated health and sustainability claims. I think most other consumers (especially millennials) want to know this as well, regardless of their diet.

OK, HOW MUCH IS THIS GOING TO COST?

Nope – that’s the thing. You can’t buy it, Entovegan certification must be earned by being a legitimately approved product. 

Nutrition facts and sustainability data. Simple, right? 

However, yes, of course I want to monetize it, but for both of us! Thankfully, with digital technology it’s quite easy to track e-commerce sales. So you make amazingly healthy, sustainable insect products, and I’ll help you promote them to the world, and the increase in sales benefits both of our bottom line.

If this sounds like a winning proposition to you, and you want to take a public stand for real health and sustainability in your insect-based food products, let’s talk!