Vending

Vending machine in Australia sells edible bugs

Photo: Adobe Stock

June 18, 2024

A vending machine in Melbourne, Australia is offering edible bugs and insects, according to a 9 Now report.

The machine offers a range of edible creatures including myrtle mealworms, cricket protein corn chips and even ants encased in hard candy.

Edible Bug Shop and Circle Harvest Founder, Skye Blackburn, is responsible for this innovation and boasts the unusual snacks' high nutritional value. "Cricket protein powder for example is actually 69% digestible protein, it's got four times the amount of calcium as milk, three times the amount of iron as spinach and it's got a complete amino acid profile as well," Blackburn told the news outlet.

"We actually have lots of customers who are vegan or vegetarian for environmental or ethical reasons that will start to include insects in their diet. So if you replace one meat-based meal a week with a meal that includes insects as your source of protein instead, you actually save over 100,000 liters of drinking water a year."

In addition to whole bugs and snacks, Edible Bug shop offers recipes and supplements.