Who can say No to FREE Ice-cream? But what happens if your favourite cold creamy treat comes packed with roasted insects? Would you still be game to try?

In a bid to educate the world about future food shortages, the economist is giving out free ice-creams sprinkled with bugs. According to the economist, bugs are a source of cheap and easily accessible protein so insects could very well be on the menu in the not too distant future.

Insect-Filled Flavours

The ice-cream flavours sound scrumptious. Pick from “Scurry Berry”, blueberry and raspberry ice-cream with a mish-mash of insect bits; “Choc Hopper”, smooth chocolate ice-cream with grasshopper chunks; “Strawberries and Swirls”, fresh strawberry ice-cream with cream and meal-worm swirls; and “Nutritious Neapolitan”, mixed critters in strawberry, chocolate and vanilla ice-cream.

The insects have been sourced from the Edible Bug Shop in Sydney. The owner of the shop, Skye Blackburn, told hit.com.au that she includes bugs as part of her family’s daily diet.

“I throw some mealworms on my muesli in the morning for the extra protein,” she said.

Her kids are fans too and even ask for mealworms as an after-school snack!

“I make them mealworm chocolate crackles or maybe some cookies. It’s adding a little bit of extra nutrients and protein in there so it’s making the food a bit more nutrient dense for them.”

Make Way For Bug Super Foods

The insects are a bit of super-food with crickets apparently packing in more calcium than milk and more iron than spinach.

Skye continues: “They’ve got three times the amount of omega three as salmon and they’ve also got heaps of B12 and B2 vitamins which is a good mood stabiliser, so if you’re feeling a little bit upset, maybe come and try some of the bugs!”

So what do the insects taste like?

Skye said that the bugs don’t actually have a strong flavour, except for the ants.

“The ants have a strong citrus flavour and they have the texture of poppy seeds. So if you’re expecting that kind of texture, it does actually taste really nice and I think they’ve got it paired with a nice citrus ice cream which is fantastic.”

“The crickets and mealworms have a kind-of nutty flavour to them so they are crunchy, they are roasted, but those mild nutty flavours work really well with the creaminess of the ice-cream. It is delicious!”

And be assured that you won’t find any insects wriggling around in your cone: “They are roasted before they’re added to the ice cream so they’re cooked and they’re crunchy.”

Where To Find Insect Ice-Cream

The FREE ice-cream food cart has already passed through Melbourne (did you try it?) and is available in Sydney over the next few days:

Henry Deane Plaza, Thursday March 8, 8am–7pm
Martin Place, Friday March 9, 12pm–5pm
Manly Wharf, Sunday March 11, 10am–6pm
University of Sydney, Monday March 12, 10am–5pm
UTS, Tuesday March 13, 10am–5pm
Barangaroo, Wednesday March 14, 10am–7pm
University of Sydney, Thursday March 15, 10am–5pm
Chatswood Mall, Friday March 16, 9am–9pm
NAB Square, Monday March 19, 8am–7pm
Darling Quarter, Tuesday March 20, 8am–5pm

So would you brave the bugs? Tell us in the comments below?