Jiminy! Edible roasted cricket snacks made by Malaysian company Ento

Crickets require less feed, water and land than conventional livestock farming and are a richer source of protein than beef. Photo: The Star/Yap Chee Hong

Somewhere in Ara Damansara, the basement and ground floor of a three-storey shoplot bustles with energy and activity – this is after all the home of 20kg of live crickets.

These spindly bugs, found in gardens and fields everywhere – will live for six to eight weeks in the shoplot, before reaching their final destination – the palates of discerning Malaysian consumers eager to embrace a more planet-friendly source of protein.