Review and video-review : “Les insectes apéritifs” by Micronutris

Hello everyone!

The French company Micronutris, the first European company specialized in edible insects rearing, had launched some new range of products. You know what it means… It’s time for a PRODUCT REVIEW!

I try a new formula for today. Firstly, during an activity a friend told me that I looked so cheerful when I was talking about bugs. Secondly, during a Skype session with a friend (yeah RNA, it’s you!), I showed him some different products with my webcam and it was quite interesting. So, I will try a video review on Youtube. I can’t really work my English accent, so for the moment the video will be in French with subtitles. I hope you will enjoy this new formula!

Have a nice reading and a nice video!

Introduction : More about Micronutris

First of all, if you want to learn more about Micronutris, I already tried their dried crickets. You will find there everything you ever dreamt about crickets and Micronutris! If you check their website www.mangeons-des-insectes.com (lets-eat-insects.com), you will find all their new products.

Secondly, all the Micronutris products have molted! Check out this ecdysis :

The front side is now more appealing with more colours!

Now there a some information on the back!

The packaging

For this new product, Micronutris kept the same format, the brown paperboard resealable bag.

The new colorful design of Micronutris packaging deserve well this type of products. These mealworms and crickets are for an “apéro” (I know you are not very common with that!) so some colors are welcome!

The information available are complete, you’ve got :

• The origin
• The complete denomination of the product
• The ingredient list
• The allergens
• How to eat the insects
• The weight
• A contact
• A batch number

A moment please, I’m checking my nutrition lessons…… (Little elevator music for waiting). All the legal information are there : This is serious. I think this is very important for the consumer’s trust.

This bag contains 10 grams of product :

• Dried mealworms
• Dried crickets
• Sunflower oil
• Aromas
• Flavor enhancers

For ending this part about the packaging, I would say that the new design is really nice, it looks funnier and more appealing without loosing some serious (I hope you understood!). I’m sure that the next one will be even fancier. If I can add a tiny detail : the proportion of insects mealworms/crickets is missing.

The tasting

This now the 4th kind of dried and seasoned insects designed for snack I’m trying. (I’m starting being an expert bug muncher!)

I had a lot of very good experiences and some unlucky one… Knowing the professionalism of Micronutris, I’m quite excited and confident.

When, I opened the bag the smell of the barbecue is really strong, remarkable and appealing, we all loved it. The barbecue, the sun, the friends, the cricket chirping (Sorry, I lost myself…)

Visually, my family liked the browny color and all the spices on the products. Personally, I found the colors very nice and appealing too but I prefer when the seasoning is really fixed after a slow cooking process.

Even, if there are many insects in the bag, I was a little bit disturbed by the difference between the amount of the content and the size of the bag.

The texture is very smooth and not greasy. It’s crunchy but not as a chips. It’s interesting if you want to have a real “insect texture experience” as a snack.

Honestly, the taste is just great! The seasoning says “barbecue” and it’s really barbecue! We found that very positive. If it’s your first try, the product itself is a new experience, it’s a new texture, so it’s positive to have something you can easily recognize and handle on. Here it’s a real strong and well known barbecue flavor!

The specificity of this product is the mix of seasoned mealworms and crickets in the same bag. It’s very interesting for introducing the 2 kind of insects at the same time, you will be familiarized with crickets and mealworms at one time! Be careful, this great taste and the variety will make you eat more! (That’s why M&M’s have different colors) “A cricket for daddy, a mealworm for mummy!”.

The counterbalance is that the strong seasoning will alter the distinction between the crickets and the mealworms. You will surely be amazed by the great flavor, but you may be disappointed because the 2 species have nearly the same taste. Don’t panic, the differences in the shape and the texture will still give you a double experience!

The price

I don’t often talk about the prices but during my activities, people are more and more interested about edible insects and questions about the prices come oftenly. The good point is that people seems to be ready to buy some insects and they also understand why, for the moment, insects are expensive products (when it’s after a taste of my delicious home-made pop-corn mealworms, I’m quite honored!). Here, “Les insectes apéritifs” is clearly a high-price product : It’s 12,50€ (about 15$) for 10 grams of product.

This price can be justified by the special and unique situation of Micronutris. It’s the only company in Europe specialized on edible insects working through the entire process from rearing to processing and selling. (Crickets from the hatch to the potlatch!) I personally find this price okay for some non-regular experiences. But would you?

If you want to try a new high-quality product with a great taste, and will to accept a higher price for helping the development of entomophagy and rewarding Micronutris, go ahead you won’t be disappointed by these products…

By the way, there is free way for helping Micronutris, you can vote daily for the company on www.mypositiveimpact.org. If they win an award, it will help them expanding the production system. (So, more bugs at more affordable price)

Conclusion

So for ending, what can I say about this product… Well, it’s Micronutris : It’s good, it’s serious, it’s safe. My family and I were very pleased by the nice barbecue seasoning, the smooth texture and the smell but I’m not a big fan of the process used for fixing the spices.

I was pleased to discover that Micronutris created a new design for their packaging, it’s more appealing than before and it suits well with this product. One more time, Micronutris has gained my trust. (I hope that Micronutris will continue adding more fantasy into their packaging, “release the cricket!”)

There are more and more very good whole seasoned insects available in France, “les Insectes apéritifs” Micronutris are one of them. So, this new product with this exclusive seasoning bring some variety and that’s positive .The price can really be an obstacle for regular experiences… (But only for the moment, I hope!)

I will finish : If you like some dried insects as appetizers, go ahead and try this seasoned insects! (And don’t forget to give me your personal feedbacks)

By the way, my last activity was great, people were very interested about edible insects. As usual, they left me with insects in the bellies, the heart and the mind!

I will come soon with a special recipe…

Until then, take care and see you soon!

Florian