By Mike Montemarano, Associate Editor, Nutraceuticals World02.20.20
ConsumerLab, an independent company that tests food and dietary products, found that one of the two brands of cricket protein powder they tested, Entomo Farms Cricket Powder, contained a “high concentration of arsenic,” which ConsumerLab claimed was 780 ppb (parts per billion).
Arsenic, a toxic heavy metal, is a known carcinogen.
“Entomo Farms Organic Cricket Protein Powder 2050 was contaminated with a relatively large amount of arsenic,” the ConsumerLab report said. “A two tablespoon (20 gram) serving contained 17.6 mcg of total arsenic, of which 15.6 mcg was inorganic arsenic- the form considered most toxic.”
The second sample tested, EXO Pure Cricket Powder, had a “very low” concentration of 35 ppb of inorganic arsenic, according to ConsumerLab, putting it well below any concentration limit proposed by FDA.
“The U.S. does not have a limit on inorganic arsenic in foods, but a limit of 100 ppb for infant rice cereals has been proposed by the FDA,” ConsumerLab reported.
The claims regarding inorganic arsenic content surfaced a few days ago during an extension of ConsumerLab’s protein powders review, which covers whey, soy, casein, pea, and hemp protein powders.
According to ConsumerLab, the concentration of arsenic found within the sample of Entomo Farms Cricket Protein Powder it tested is “about five times” the highest concentration found by the FDA in arsenic-contaminated rice products, and “nearly eight times” the FDA’s proposed limit of 100 ppb in infant rice cereals.
“Crickets are what they eat,” ConsumerLab founder and president Tod Cooperman, M.D. said. “They are known to accumulate and concentrate heavy metals if these are in their feed. Our results suggest that a cricket producer, probably unknowingly, fed its crickets arsenic-contaminated feed, such as whole grain rice grown in an arsenic-contaminated area.”
Lauren Keegan, Entomo Farms CEO, told Nutraceuticals World that Entomo Farms is currently working with ConsumerLab to better understand the testing methodology used on the company’s protein powder.
“The safety and nutrition of our Entomo Farms’ products is critically important to us,” Keegan said. “When we became aware of ConsumerLab's claims about arsenic in our product, we immediately conducted our own investigation, including testing samples that we had retained from the same lot ConsumerLabs tested. Although our lab’s results confirmed ConsumerLab's findings on the total arsenic in that lot of product, all other tested lots where arsenic could be identified found significantly lower levels, and no lots (including the lot tested by Consumer Lab) were found to pose a food safety risk according to widely accepted government standards.”
“However, given the concern raised by Consumer Labs, we are increasing sampling and testing of the food and water fed to our crickets, as well as our finished product, to validate that our products remain as safe as we can make them,” Keegan continued. “It is noteworthy that according to the International Food Information Council, arsenic is a naturally occurring element in air, water, rocks, and soil and it is common for a variety of foods and beverages to naturally contain trace amounts of arsenic that pose no risk to consumers. We are reassured that our comprehensive testing shows that our lab has been able to detect arsenic, and the level falls into this ‘no risk category.”
Cricket powder, which is rising in popularity with the trend of sustainable protein derived from insects, has the added perk of containing a substantial amount of B12 compared to protein powders derived from most other sources. Both cricket powders tested by ConsumerLab contained at least 60% protein.
Proteins sourced from insects are considered to be less harmful to the environment. Insect protein requires less water than plant and animal sources of protein, and insect protein production doesn’t emit large amounts of methane gas, as is the case with cows during the production of dairy proteins such as whey and casein.
Arsenic, a toxic heavy metal, is a known carcinogen.
“Entomo Farms Organic Cricket Protein Powder 2050 was contaminated with a relatively large amount of arsenic,” the ConsumerLab report said. “A two tablespoon (20 gram) serving contained 17.6 mcg of total arsenic, of which 15.6 mcg was inorganic arsenic- the form considered most toxic.”
The second sample tested, EXO Pure Cricket Powder, had a “very low” concentration of 35 ppb of inorganic arsenic, according to ConsumerLab, putting it well below any concentration limit proposed by FDA.
“The U.S. does not have a limit on inorganic arsenic in foods, but a limit of 100 ppb for infant rice cereals has been proposed by the FDA,” ConsumerLab reported.
The claims regarding inorganic arsenic content surfaced a few days ago during an extension of ConsumerLab’s protein powders review, which covers whey, soy, casein, pea, and hemp protein powders.
According to ConsumerLab, the concentration of arsenic found within the sample of Entomo Farms Cricket Protein Powder it tested is “about five times” the highest concentration found by the FDA in arsenic-contaminated rice products, and “nearly eight times” the FDA’s proposed limit of 100 ppb in infant rice cereals.
“Crickets are what they eat,” ConsumerLab founder and president Tod Cooperman, M.D. said. “They are known to accumulate and concentrate heavy metals if these are in their feed. Our results suggest that a cricket producer, probably unknowingly, fed its crickets arsenic-contaminated feed, such as whole grain rice grown in an arsenic-contaminated area.”
Lauren Keegan, Entomo Farms CEO, told Nutraceuticals World that Entomo Farms is currently working with ConsumerLab to better understand the testing methodology used on the company’s protein powder.
“The safety and nutrition of our Entomo Farms’ products is critically important to us,” Keegan said. “When we became aware of ConsumerLab's claims about arsenic in our product, we immediately conducted our own investigation, including testing samples that we had retained from the same lot ConsumerLabs tested. Although our lab’s results confirmed ConsumerLab's findings on the total arsenic in that lot of product, all other tested lots where arsenic could be identified found significantly lower levels, and no lots (including the lot tested by Consumer Lab) were found to pose a food safety risk according to widely accepted government standards.”
“However, given the concern raised by Consumer Labs, we are increasing sampling and testing of the food and water fed to our crickets, as well as our finished product, to validate that our products remain as safe as we can make them,” Keegan continued. “It is noteworthy that according to the International Food Information Council, arsenic is a naturally occurring element in air, water, rocks, and soil and it is common for a variety of foods and beverages to naturally contain trace amounts of arsenic that pose no risk to consumers. We are reassured that our comprehensive testing shows that our lab has been able to detect arsenic, and the level falls into this ‘no risk category.”
Cricket powder, which is rising in popularity with the trend of sustainable protein derived from insects, has the added perk of containing a substantial amount of B12 compared to protein powders derived from most other sources. Both cricket powders tested by ConsumerLab contained at least 60% protein.
Proteins sourced from insects are considered to be less harmful to the environment. Insect protein requires less water than plant and animal sources of protein, and insect protein production doesn’t emit large amounts of methane gas, as is the case with cows during the production of dairy proteins such as whey and casein.
