Frequently asked questions

What is HOP?

HOP is a premium nutrition brand bringing edible insects to the mainstream. We launched a cricket protein bar because of its familiarity to the UK market. People know what a protein bar is and what to expect from one. It is the ideal way to introduce a novel food in order to help people overcome their perceived barrier to insect consumption. We really enjoy educating people about the nutritional and environmental benefits of insects, so that they can make better choices for themselves and for the planet. HOP will continue introducing edible insects with a huge number of new and exciting product lines!

Why crickets?

Crickets are the closest thing on the planet that we have to a perfect protein source; they are both superior to other protein sources such as chicken, beef or pork in terms of their nutritional profile, in addition to being significantly more sustainable for the planet.

  1. Payne CLR, et al. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016;70(3):285-91,

  2. Dobermann D, et al. Nutrition Bulletin. 2017;4:293–308.

Is HOP BAR vegetarian or vegan?

Technically, HOP bars are not vegetarian or vegan as they contain insects. However, many vegetarians and vegans eat our products due to their environmental benefits, in addition that insect farming is more ethical compared to conventional livestock. There are many examples of insects being found in numerous ‘vegetarian products’, even in the production of fruits and vegetables, so this may come down to individual preference whether you are an ‘ento-vegan’ or not.



Can crickets transmit infectious diseases?

Insects harbour bacteria, viruses, and other microorganisms like any other animal. Prior to slaughter, insects are starved for 24-48 h to reduce the number bacteria in their guts. Then following slaughter, insects are processed and often heat treated to destroy any pathogens they may carry. Studies have shown that insect consumption presents no more of a microbial risk than consuming other meat sources when the same good practice standards of preparation are applied.

  1. Dobermann D, et al. Nutrition Bulletin. 2017;4:293–308,
  2. Pali-Schöll I, et al. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(17):2760-2771.



How does each HOP bar save 22L of water?

Each HOP bar saves 22L of water in comparison to the same production of beef protein. This is backed up by numerous scientific studies and is a conservative estimate. The real number is likely to be far higher.

In fact we calculated that compared to beef protein every HOP BAR saves: 22L of water, 8.3g of feed, 3x A4-pages of land area, 2.5 seconds of labour, and 2.8g of CO2 emissions.

  1. http://www.fao.org/3/a0701e/a0701e00.htm

  2. https://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/pub-details/?pubid=47145

  3. http://www.fao.org/edible-insects/en/



What is 'Work for Good'?

HOP is proud to give a proportion of all profits to the charity Water Aid through the Work for Good partnership. Clean drinking water is a limited resource and any contribution that you make makes us proud at HOP!



How can I become a HOP Ambassador?

We welcome active and adventurous individuals to get involved in HOP and join our growing team! So if you would like to become an Ambassador, contact us by email, through the site chat, or on our Instagram.



Is HOP a large organisation?

HOP is a university start-up from humble origins. We have dreams of becoming a global organisation, however, we want to retain our core values and the reason we created HOP is to give individuals more control over their health and well-being. Read our full story here.



How can I support HOP?

You can help us in many ways; from trying our products and telling your friends about them, and also by engaging in our community. We want HOP to be a brand for everyone that improves people's diets and the planet!



What is your return policy?

We have a 28-days refund policy.



Do you ship internationally?

Yes, we can, but please email or send a message through the chat to arrange this.



Is your packaging recyclable?

Yes, please recycle!



Are crickets healthy?

Crickets provide an excellent source of protein and many minerals such as calcium, iron and magnesium which people need to stay healthy. The high protein content in crickets helps to support muscle repair and growth in children. Also, unlike other sources of protein such as pork, beef, or eggs, crickets contain fibre, which is important for promoting intestinal health.

  1. Montowska M, et al. Food Chem. 2019;289:130-138,
  2. Dobermann D, et al. Nutrition Bulletin. 2017;4:293–308.



Are insects poisonous?

It depends, not all insects are edible. While many are poisonous and unsafe for human consumption, we’re just looking at the edible ones! The products at HOP are based on crickets as they are known to be safe for human consumption, in addition to possessing one the best nutritional profiles in the insect kingdom.

  1. Payne CLR, et al. Eur J Clin Nutr. 2016;70(3):285-9,
  2. Montowska M, et al. Food Chem. 2019;289:130-138.



How do we harvest the crickets?

Before being harvested and milled into what we would recognise as powder, crickets are put to sleep painlessly by placing them in a cooling chamber. The low temperatures in the cooling chamber causes the insects to enter a state of deep sleep known as hibernation. Once this happens, the temperatures are lowered even further, which leads to a painless death.



Is insect farming humane?

Unlike mammals such as humans, pigs or cows, insects have relatively simple nervous systems with substantially fewer neurons, which makes them unable to perceive pain in the same way. Moreover, insects lack the brain capacity to experience emotion or to know when they are injured. Despite this, insects are killed humanly by first inducing hibernation, following by freezing which leads to their painless death. At HOP we believe it is important to treat other animals with the uttermost respect regardless of whether they experience pain or not.

  1. Pali-Schöll I, et al. Crit Rev Food Sci Nutr. 2019;59(17):2760-277.



Can crickets transmit COVID-19?

Unlike humans or other mammals, insects do not express the cell membrane protein ACE2 that SARS-CoV-2 (the COVID-19 virus) needs to invade and replicate inside cells. Due to its incapacity to enter into insect cells, the risk of SARS-CoV-2 transmission from insects to humans is extremely low.

  1. Dicke M, et al. Journal of Insects as Food and Feed. 2020;0(0):1-8.