The products are made by the Swiss edible insect processor Essento from mealworms of the Tenebrio Molitor species. The burgers combine meat from the insects with rice, vegetables and spices, while the worms are mixed with chickpeas, onion, garlic and herbs in the recipe for the “insect balls”.

“These products have a balanced taste, are ready to eat and present a great introduction to the various cookery options offered by insects,” Coop’s head of fresh products procurement Silvio Baselgia said in a statement. He added that the retailer is the first to offer insect-based foods in Switzerland.

Three authorised species

Mealworms are one of the three insect species authorised in human food in May by Switzerland’s Federal Food Safety and Veterinary Office, alongside two types of crickets. According to the office, this makes the country more open to insect food than the EU.

People routinely eat insects in numerous tropical countries. Companies have been developing insect-based foods elsewhere in Europe, especially in Nordic countries.

“The use of insects as food has many advantages: they are interesting to cook, their production saves the planet’s resources and they are nutritiously rich,” said Essento co-founder Christian Bärtsch. The company has been developing insect-based foods for two years and is now planning to launch direct online sales.

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