????“這種現象不是曇花一現，而會成為一條將穩步上升的曲線的開端，”蒙大拿州立大學(Montana State University )副教授弗洛倫斯?鄧克爾說。這位著名的食用昆蟲專家每年都在校園組織一場昆蟲自助餐，其中的特色佳肴包括蠟蛾幼蟲油炸玉米餅、用咖哩粉烹調的黃粉蟲和爆炒蟋蟀。

????她列舉驅動人們對這種全新食物類別產生興趣的力量，“當時的環境，對更多營養物質的需要，還有就是千禧一代在搜尋更好生活方式時抱有的開放心態，”她補充說。“在這些因素的推動下，人們開始不假思索地把昆蟲作為一種蛋白質來源融入我們的飲食。”

????不過，雖然鄧克爾預測稱，在未來幾年，冷凍蛾幼蟲將與冷凍蝦一道出現在消費者的購物袋之中，但其他人，包括聯合國糧農組織，都比較謹慎。他們表示，至少對下一代人來說，昆蟲消費類產品將依然是一個“縫隙市場”，其主要受眾是尋求刺激的西方人，以及西方國家中渴望享受墨西哥蚱蜢或南部非洲可樂豆木蠕蟲等傳統昆蟲美食的移民社區。

????負責協調糧農組織昆蟲項目的聯合國官員保羅?旺托姆表示，他認為最大的潛力將是動物飼料領域。他指出，在未來20年每年售出的大約1,500萬噸蛋白質中，昆蟲的占比有望達到10%。在他看來，昆蟲將取代魚粉，還將成為大豆粉的補充。

????“為了滿足養雞場和養豬場的需要，中國每年進口大約3,000萬噸大豆粉，”旺托姆說。“中國老百姓通常一周吃一次肉，他們的肉食需求預計將在未來5年翻一番。這意味著，他們將進口6,000萬噸。就連中國也開始為這些進口飼料尋找替代品。對他們來說，這是一個大問題。”

????此外，EnviroFlight公司的考特賴特表示，他預計飼料行業將成為最有潛力吸引投資的領域。“對于飼料產業來說，肯定如此。但我不認為西方公眾已經做好了食用昆蟲的準備，”考特賴特說。“我們還沒有餓到那份上。我們目前還沒有體會到挨餓的滋味，也不具備吃昆蟲的文化傳統。”

????前幾天，就在《財富》(Fortune) 雜志社，當幾位記者繪聲繪色地描述他們顫顫巍巍地品嘗Chapul椰子、姜汁、酸橙或花生醬和巧克力棒樣品的經歷時，有好幾位編輯都露出了驚恐萬分的表情。其中很大一部分憂慮恐怕跟有可能咬到一只蟋蟀有關——就像他們在電視節目《誰敢來挑戰》(Fear Factor)中看到的那個著名場景——盡管這些能量棒看不到明顯的蟋蟀痕跡，也缺乏這種吱吱叫的昆蟲身上特有的那股木香味。這些食物的口味和一致性更接近于巧克力或熱帶棒狀食品。

????幾個街區之外，在曼哈頓中城的西風自然市場 (Westerly Natural Market)，有不少天然食品商店正在銷售這些棒狀食品。其中有一款蛋白質棒包含野鼠尾草籽，和另一種據稱每銷售一筆就能拯救許多生命的草籽。站在一旁的銷售人員表示，Chapul蟋蟀棒主要賣給了那些嘗試著迎合最新保健食品趨勢的“死忠”顧客。由于市場營銷活動有限，再加上公眾對食用昆蟲的概念還非常陌生，這些產品的銷售一直非常遲緩，他們說。

????不過，對于各種反調，克勞利早已習以為常，并且承認在幫助消費者克服對昆蟲食品的恐懼方面，他依然需要做大量工作。但克勞利相信他的公司有足夠大的成長空間，他預計公司營收將在2015年達到100萬美元，并且將在五年內突破1,000 萬美元大關。

????克勞利說，“這個行業將繼續增長，我對此堅信不疑。”他預計Chapul將在五年內進入1萬家商店。“我們需要豐富我們的食品系統，”他說。“我們不是在嘗試著消除食物來源。我們僅僅是想把昆蟲添加到人們的飲食菜單之中。”（財富中文網）

????譯者：葉寒

????“This is more than a blip. This is the beginning of a curve that will go steadily up,” said Montana State University Associate Prof. Florence V. Dunkel, a leading edible insect expert who organizes an annual bug buffet on campus each year featuring delicacies like wax moth larvae quesadillas, curried mealworms and Chinese stir fry made with crickets.

????“There was the environment,” she says, ticking off forces that are driving interest in the new food group. “There was the need to have more nutrients. And then there was the openness of the Millennial generation to search out better ways to live,” she added. “It’s a no-brainer to begin to incorporate insects into our diet as a protein source.”

????But while Dunkel predicts that shoppers in the next few years could find bags of frozen moth larvae next to the frozen shrimp, others, including the FAO, are more cautious. They say consumer products will remain a “niche market” for at least another generation, mostly attracting thrill-seeking Westerners as well as immigrant communities in the West pining for traditional insect favorites like grasshoppers from Mexico or Mopane worms from southern Africa.

????The FAO’s Paul Vantomme, who coordinates the agency’s insect program, says he thinks the greatest potential is in the animal feed sector, noting that insects could represent up to 10 percent of the 150 million tons of protein sold each year in two decades. The insects would replace fishmeal and supplement soybean meal, Vantomme said.

????“China imports 30 million tons of soybean meal in order to supply its chicken and pig farms,” Vantomme says. “The average Chinese eats meat once a week, and that is expected to double in the next five years. That means they will be importing 60 million tons. Even China is looking for alternatives for these imports. For them, it’s a big problem.”

????EnviroFlight’sCourtright also says he expects the animal feed sector to offer the most potential for investors. “For animal feed, definitely. For human feed, I don’t think the West is ready,” Courtright says. “We’re not that hungry yet. We are not starving and insects are not part of our culture.”

????Some of that trepidation was on display the other day at Fortune when several reporters said they were scared to even try samples of the Chapur coconut, ginger and lime or the peanut butter and chocolate bar. Much of the apprehension came from expecting to bite into a cricket, as famously seen on the TV show Fear Factor, although the bars have no visible cricket parts and lack the woodsy flavor of chirping insects. The taste and consistency are closer to a chocolate or tropical power bar.

????A few blocks away, the bars were on sale at midtown Manhattan’s Westerly Natural Market natural foods store. Positioned alongside a protein bar featuring Chia seeds and another one claiming to save lives with each sale, staffers said the Chapul cricket bars were selling mostly to “hard-core” customers trying to tap into the latest health food trends. Sales have been slow due to limited marketing and the foreign concept of edible insects, they said.

????For his part, Chapul’s Crowley has grown accustomed to the naysayers and acknowledges he still has work to do to help consumers overcome their fears of eating products like his with insects. But he believes his company has plenty of room to grow, predicting that it could see $1 million in revenue in 2015 and more than $10 million in five years.

????“I have no doubt that the industry will continue to grow,” Crowley says, noting that he expects Chapul to be in 10,000 stores in five years. “We need to diversify our food system,” he says. “We are not trying to eliminate food sources. We are just trying to add insects to the menu of the American diet.”