UNL grads making pasta products out of crickets

Pasta.

Many people love the carb loaded comfort food, but what if pasta could be made healthier?

UNL grad Kelly Sturek is on a mission to do just that, but his alternative might make some people cringe.

“We take insects and put them into forms that people are familiar with pasta, rice, noodles, and those kinds of things,” Sturek, co-founder of Bugeater Foods, said. 

Sturek partnered up with two other UNL grads to form Bugeater Foods.

The company makes pasta products out of crickets.

Over 2 million people around the world eat bugs daily as a source of protein.

But what inspired the trio to turn to creepy crawlers as food?

“It came down to tacos and margaritas back in college. Beef is really cheap, but it’s really unhealthy for us why don’t we look for other source of protein? Then crickets came up.”

The company has been perfecting their bug based pasta for three years.

They use cricket powder to form dough, which later becomes pasta noodles.

Several years ago the USDA awarded Bugeaters Foods with the small business innovation research grant, which gave them $100,000 to fund their cricket based pasta.

Since then the company has expanded to make several different types of noodles, all more nutritious than traditional versions.

“Ours is actually a lot more protein, omega–3 fatty acids, and multi–vitamins such as iron so you’re getting a pretty big boost of that.”

Bugeaters is currently only sold online, but hopes to expand to stores next year.

Before you bug–out over this buggy pasta, Sturek says give it a chance, you just might find cricket is your new favorite type of pasta.