When it comes to spending extra money or brain power on food, the average consumer won’t bother for the planet. They will, however, spend a little extra for protein powder that is free from dairy, gluten, soy, and nuts AND causes no digestive upset, bloating, or indigestion.
Kate Stoddard, founder of Orchestra Provisions, reflects, “We have learned a lot in the 6 years we have been in business, some of our key takeaways for how to make the business successful. To our dismay- people might care a little about the earth, but truly they care more about the tangible “how does this impact me right now” a lot more.”
Image: Orchestra Provisions
Despite growing public awareness about climate change and the growing need to make more sustainable choices, the average consumer will not be motivated to stray far from their usual food buying habits for environmental reasons. Moreover, consumers who HAVE been motivated to buy more sustainable products may be frustrated with the rampant greenwashing deployed by companies seeking to brand themselves as “sustainable,” along with the sometimes contradicting opinions about what sustainable choices look like. Is plant-based REALLY better for you and the planet if it takes a ton of energy to manufacture from non-natural ingredients?
Over the last decade, I’ve seen a number of insect companies attempt a wide range of marketing tactics to intrigue customers: some embraced the fact that their products contained BUGS and sought the adventurous consumer, others took a more subtle approach – just listing insects as an ingredient but otherwise not highlighting it. Many idealistic insect startup companies have poured marketing dollars into campaigns centered on how favorably their ingredients stacked up to alternatives from an environmental impact perspective.
Image: Crickets.org
According to a 2013 UN/FAO report, insects have a great feed to growth conversion rate, which essentially means they efficiently convert feed to body mass. Insects require a fraction of the land use as the cattle industry, and a shockingly small amount of feed and water are required in comparison. Cricket waste, contrary to other animal turds, is incredibly earth friendly generating more income for farmers. Also known as “Frass”, cricket poop is incredibly useful as natural fertilizer. Crickets have a very small carbon footprint when considering other protein industries, emitting a percentage of carbon that pales in comparison to other animal agriculture practices. When we consider the edible portions of animals we raise, and the waste of parts dubbed inedible, the cricket is favorable in this arena as well because most of the cricket is edible, whereas a large percentage of each cow goes to waste. Crickets reach maturation around day 30 meaning more product more frequently without the use of chemicals, hormones or antibiotics. There is currently a trend toward plant protein as a more sustainable alternative to animal protein and insects require a fraction of the land and water as plant proteins. If you are interested in the amazing work of the UN and its support of our industry you can download the PDF including the actual report here: http://www.fao.org/3/i3253e/i3253e.pdf
Source: Orchestra Provisions
Image: IP Journal of Nutrition, Metabolism and Health Science
Stoddard continues, “So while the environmental impacts (ARE INDEED WHY WE DID THIS IN THE FIRST PLACE) are lovely benefits, they are not our key selling points.” Instead, Orchestra Provision has found success by focusing on the amazing health benefits her products provide to individual consumers.
What sets Orchestra Provisions apart?
- 1. Dairy free, gluten free, soy free, nut free
- 2. No digestive upset, bloating and indigestion like Whey/dairy
- 3. Only 4 ingredients and they are all pronounceable and familiar
- 4. Whole food ingredients with very little processing, we believe this is the way the body evolved to absorb and utilize nutrients
- 5. Fiber intact- prebiotic to support a healthy gut/microbiome
- 6. No isolates which require more processing and render a food into something that the body may or may not recognize- again we evolved to digest whole foods with all of the parts!
- 7. Low in sugar, and the sugar source comes from a whole food. Date powder- dates have other health benefits too!
- 8. No stevia-so you don’t get that weird taste that so many people don’t like
- 9. Flavoring is from the real deal- no “Flavors”, just real plants behind the magic. Our Chocolate is made with Dutch cocoa, our vanilla is made from vanilla bean and our Chai is made with all of the OG spices! Cinnamon, cardamom, ginger, clove, nutmeg.
Image: Orchestra Provisions
Once I found insect protein powder, I’ve never looked back. I feel SO MUCH BETTER since ditching whey protein powder – I had no idea how many of my digestion issues stemmed from using whey-based ingredients. The difference is remarkable.
In addition to already using relatively resource-efficient insect protein, Orchestra Provisions uses whole food ingredients with very little processing; I agree with their team – this is the way the body evolved to absorb and utilize nutrients. Highly bioavailable, nutrient-dense, and minimally processed ingredients make Orchestra Provision products stand out favorably when compared to other protein powder products that have long ingredient lists, hard-to-pronounce food additives, and are ultra-processed. Ultra-processed foods are both unsustainable and unhealthy.
Orchestra Provisions products are nutrient-dense, rich in protein, heme iron, B-vitamins (like B12), calcium, zinc, magnesium, prebiotic fiber for a healthy gut and omega-3 fatty acids. Put plainly, crickets are a superfood.
Here’s a fun fact: about 2 tablespoons of cricket powder equals 14 grams of protein. 2 TABLESPOONS! That’s comparable to a serving of meat, but much healthier for the individual and food system at large.
Image: Cricket Flours
With all of the synthetic garbage Americans are happy to consume, and the unavoidable FDA-approved-and-acknowledged insect inclusion allowance (frozen or canned spinach is allowed to have an average of 50 aphids and mites in it), I find it a bit ironic that some people freak out at the mention of cricket protein powder. But that’s changing.
As more delicious products in convenient forms emerge into the market, consumption will continue to rise. A few consumers seek out products like Orchestra Provisions for the sustainability benefits, but most early adopters are looking for what we call “functional food benefits.”
Functional foods can provide a variety of health benefits, including:
- Reduced risk of chronic disease: Functional foods can help protect against the development of chronic conditions
- Improved gut health: Functional foods can help maintain gut health.
- Improved cognition: Functional foods can help improve cognition.
- Increased energy and focus: Functional foods can help increase energy and focus.
- Decreased stress: Functional foods can help decrease stress.
- Aided digestion: Functional foods can help aid digestion.
- Weight management: Functional foods can help manage weight.
- Improved bone density: Functional foods can help build and maintain bone density.
- Improved heart health: Functional foods can help maintain normal blood pressure and lipid profile, and control normal heart rhythms.
Functional foods are similar to conventional foods, but they provide additional health benefits beyond basic nutrition.
Image: Mighty Cricket
People who have dietary restrictions, like dairy or gluten free, will be excited by the whole-food alternative insect products can provide, especially compared to the ultra-processed alternatives in these respective markets.
In a time when the “Paleo diet” is touted, it would be most authentic to revive and reintegrate this earth friendly source of protein. Fitness foodies are another example of a group of people who care most about the functional benefits food can have.
I hope that we see insect-based ingredients making their way into more foods, especially for our most vulnerable population most in need of nutrients: babies. Babies don’t have the same cultural bias that some adults do when it comes to an aversion to insects. And baby food is a clear example of the ultra-processed garbage food I mentioned earlier. In fact, in August 2024 a study published in the journal Nutrients found that 60% of commercially produced infant and toddler foods available in grocery stores failed to meet nutritional standards set by the World Health Organization.
Among all products, 70% failed to meet protein requirements and 44% exceeded total sugar recommendations. In addition, 1 in 4 products didn’t meet calorie requirements and 1 in 5 exceeded recommended sodium limits (CBS).
I’ve fed tens of thousands of people their first insect-based product. My favorite part is that lightbulb moment that happens when people get over whatever judgment, prejudice, or other emotional reaction they have to taste test an insect-based product and realize, oh, this is just an ingredient. This is delicious!
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Orchestra Provisions is the brain child of Kate Stoddard, an Idaho native with an undergraduate degree in philosophy and a masters in the science of nutrition. With a passion for the outdoors, a dedicated ethic to find balance through sustainable solutions, and a science-backed education in nutrition, Kate created Orchestra Provisions to solve current problems facing strained food systems, limited resources and a booming human population. Kate has spent her life cultivating the tools and insights that have enabled her to weave culinary creativity, nutrition and sustainability into products that support the evolution of food perception (dare we say regression) to make a difference.
Join the orchestra today, be the change.
Learn more: https://orchestraprovisions.com/