Tammara Soma: The Rise of the Cricket, From Eighth Plague of Egypt to Instagram-Worthy Granola Bars

Since March 2018, Loblaws has commercialized cricket powder as a source of protein to add to sauces and smoothies. 2014 Foundation scholar Tammara Soma was cited in an article published by The Toronto Star on 31 March 2018 on the rising popularity of insect-based products and their implications for food security and waste in Canada. With the market for alternative forms of meat as well as soy- and nut-based foods growing each day, mass-producing sustainable and nutritious foods using insects is becoming increasingly business-friendly. “It’s going to be a big wave, not a fad,” concluded Soma, who applauds the noticeable shift towards sustainability, awareness, and consciousness signalled by wider insect consumption in the Global North.

Tammara Soma is a 2014 Foundation scholar, a doctoral candidate in urban planning at the University of Toronto, and the director of research at the university’s Food Systems Lab. Read the full article here.