Bread made of insects to be sold by Finnish food company

Bakers Maria Malinen and Samuli Malmi of the Finnish food company Fazer bake the world's first mass-delivered bread made of insects in the bakery in Helsinki. (Reuters)

Above, the first mass-delivered bread made of insects by Finnish food company Fazer bakery in Helsinki. (Reuters)

Above, flour ground from dried crickets and crickets to be used as ingredients for mass-delivered bread at the Finnish food company Fazer bakery in Helsinki. (Reuters)

COPENHAGEN, Denmark: One of Finland’s largest food companies is selling what it claims to be a first: insect bread.
Markus Hellstrom, head of the Fazer group’s bakery division, says one loaf contains about 70 dried house crickets, ground into powder and added to the flour.
Hellstrom says the crickets represent 3 percent of the bread’s weight.
He said Thursday that “Finns are known to be willing to try new things,” and according to a survey commissioned by Fazer “good taste, freshness” were among the main criteria for bread.
Hellstrom said in a statement that Finnish legislation was changed on November 1 to allow the sale of insects as food.
The first batch of cricket breads will be sold in major Finnish cities Friday.