The Food We Will Eat in the Future… According to Snowpiercer

In the current state of the world it’s hard to imagine what the future of food will entail. Providing adequate nutrition for a global population has always been a challenge, but today, we face an extreme and dangerous threat beyond what we’ve ever encountered.

Recently, researchers concluded that the current speed and extent of global warming exceeds anything we’ve encountered in the past 2,000 years. And with excess CO2 in our atmosphere, research also suggests that we can expect the nutritional content of our foods to decline.

It’s the kind of news you’d expect from the backstory to a post-apocalyptic sci-fi thriller. In fact, it feels a lot like a prelude to the Snowpiercer saga.

However, Everett’s disgust is even more disturbing when we know what he and the other passengers ate before the cockroach laced protein blocks arrived. After a month without food and water, “we ate the weak” Everett retells. He then goes on to explain what he hates about himself the most, “I know that babies taste best”.

Throughout the movie we see people with missing arms and limbs. As we find out, those missing limbs were sacrifices made to save children from being eaten!

So, prior to cockroach laced protein blocks, the tail passengers of Snowpiercer ate each other. The protein blocks, although unappealing, were actually a solution.

It certainly wasn't the best solution, to have tiered dining options for the front of the train vs the back. But the unsustainable practices of the front of the train certainly couldn't have carried through to the entire population of the train.

Ideally, everyone would have moved towards a middle ground to more fairly distribute resources evenly. But maybe the movie was trying to show that that doesn't happen much in the real world.

Although the insect based bars in Snowpiercer come as a shock, crickets actually have a lot of nutritional potential, especially as we think about environmentally sustainable food sources. They are a complete protein, and a good source of iron, calcium, and omega-3 fatty acids. Compared to beef, they provide more than twice the amount of protein per gram, and they take up less space, time, and resources.

Raising crickets would actually be quite feasible within the constraints of a train. They can be raised in bins that house 10,000-15,000 crickets each, and take about 30 days until harvest. At the Aspire headquarters, we raise approximately 22 million crickets every month in a 25,000 square foot building.

The setup, shown below, actually looks ideal for a train setup even. Bins, with crickets inside are stacked on vertical racks, as robots provide automated feeding.

Do Insects Have a Place in Our Diet?

As the population increases, there is an increased demand for more environmentally sustainable, and nutrient dense foods. By 2050 the production of meat is expected to double, because of its value as a source of essential amino acids, and micronutrients. At the same time, scientists have warned of the impact this will have on the environment, and recommended massive reductions in meat consumption.

To fill the space of meat, we can eat more beans, lentils, nuts… and yes, crickets. Given the limited space, and resources they require, crickets are an excellent option for feeding a growing world. And, eating insects isn’t even a completely novel concept.

In many cultures throughout Asia, South America, and Africa, insects are a normal nutritious cuisine. Even Aristotle and Roman aristocrats are said to have once dined on insect larvae.   

In a future with limited resources, and climate change, how will we support a growing population?

Fortunately, some solutions may not be so far away, and they may not be so grim. The cockroach gelatein in Snowpiercer is disgusting, but it’s not reality. As those who’ve tried the EXO bars at Comic-Con can attest, crickets can be pretty delicious.

Want to Try a Snowpiercer Protein Block?

Interested in taste testing EXO’s Snowpiercer protein block? You can order them here and get 30% off with the coupon code SNOWPIERCER. And, we promise not to send you gelatinized cockroaches - just delicious, wholesome, PB&J inspired cricket bars!