Page 12 - Food&Drink July 2019

SHOW WRAP
Naturally Good
More than 360 exhibitors were on hand at the Naturally Good Expo in Sydney covering everything from roasted crickets, camel’s milk, burgers made from peas, sweetener not made from sugar and enough kombucha for the entire nation’s gut health to be guaranteed. Kim Berry was there and yes, she ate a cricket.
EAT YOUR BUGS 2
The vast majority of the world’s population eat them (around 80 per cent) so the rest of us should get onboard. Their nutrient density is roughly 69 per cent protein. Compare that to a cow – 26 per cent, or chicken at 29 per cent. They are also rich in omega 3, potassium, iron, calcium and B12.
They use much less water, land, feed and energy than any other protein. Crickets produce 80 times less methane than cattle and are 12 times more efficient in converting feed to meat.
It takes around 22,000 litres of water to produce 1 kilogram of beef and only 1 litre of water to produce 1 kilogram of crickets. (For the record, roasted crickets taste like pork crackling, just without the pork.)
GRILO
Grilo is passionate about bugs. Crickets to be precise. Portuguese for cricket, Grilo was born from an idea between four friends to offer better health, sustainable and future-conscious food. the company is based in Byron Bay, and produces roasted crickets, protein powders, flour, and energy bars.
THE SUGAR ALTERNATIVE
The rise of the low/no sugar movement has coincided with – or accelerated – the ketogenic diet gaining popularity. The low to no carbs and sugar but high in protein and good fats diet takes commitment to follow, and products that help that are increasingly popular. The result is healthy fats, like avocado and coconut, being paired with monk fruit, stevia or erythritol selling at high price points.
n in the foothills of the Guilin province in China, just near the border with
Monk fruit – or luo han gul – is grow
Vietnam where it has been used in traditional medicine for centuries. It grows on a vine and has a large grape- like appearance.
LAKANTO MONK FRUIT SWEETENER
Japanese company Saraya raised monk fruit’s profile as a natural sweetener and called it Lakanto – a zero-calorie, plant-based sweetener that tastes like sugar. It follows the same flavour profile, has no artificial ingredients, measures the same as sugar and can be used in hot cooking.
While it is certainly not new, it has been available in Japan since 1995 and the US for the last five years, but it was only this year that FSANZ recognised monk fruit as a
food additive/intense sweetener. In less than six months Woolworths has come onboard and Lakanto will be on supermarket shelves by August. Plans are in place for chocolate, hot chocolate and flavoured syrups.
12 | Food&Drink business | July 2019 | www.foodanddrinkbusiness.com.au
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