Conservatives claim Liberals want Canadians to 'eat bugs' as cricket plant reduces workforce

The Conservative Party is accusing Justin Trudeau's Liberal government of wanting Canadians to "eat bugs" following a report that a cricket plant in London, Ont. that received federal funds is laying off two-thirds of its workforce.

The Aspire Food Group facility, which farms crickets primarily used in pet food, is laying off 100 of its 150 employees as it renovates its production system, AgFunderNews reported. The company plans to rehire workers in the summer, said the report.

The Conservatives seized on the news and sent out an email to supporters Thursday blasting the Liberal government for investing $8.5 million in the facility in 2022.

"Justin Trudeau bet $9 million of your money on edible BUGS! He wants Canadians to own nothing, be happy and eat crickets," the email said.

The email ends by stating that "Patriotic Canadians will NOT eat bugs" and directs supporters to an online petition titled, "We won't eat bugs."

Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre also took to social media to criticize the government, though he largely focused on the decision to provide taxpayer funds for the project.

"Liberals spend $9 million of your money on an edible bug factory. Now we get 'crickets' from them about where the money went," Poilievre wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter.

CBC News reached out to Aspire to confirm the news but didn't receive a response.

CBC News also asked the Prime Minister's Office and the agriculture minister's office for comment on the layoffs, but was directed to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

The department said funding for Aspire was allocated through a program that aims to "accelerate the commercialization and adoption of innovative products, technologies, processes and services" in the agricultural sector.

"The Government of Canada is committed to supporting innovation that improves sustainability and competitiveness in Canada's agriculture and agri-food sector," the department's statement said.

Aspire says crickets are a more sustainable way to farm protein because they require less resources than traditional sources.

The facility farms crickets to produce a protein powder that is primarily used in pet food. The co-founder of the company had suggested in the past that he would like to sell the product for human consumption.

"Our longer-term vision is to make sure that this is a protein source that can be available and affordable to genuinely address food insecurity in many countries around the world," Mohammed Ashour told CBC News when the factory came online.

Plant has a history with conspiracy theories

In 2022, Aspire signed a memorandum of understanding with Lotte Confectionary — a Korea-based food distribution company — to identify markets in Asia and Europe for its product. But the AgFunderNews report suggests the facility is still primarily geared toward the pet food market.

The government statement announcing the federal investment also suggested that the facility could be used in "premium health food." Some health food stores in Canada sell cricket protein for human consumption, primarily in the form of a powder.

The government has provided smaller grants to companies — such as Naak Inc. — that sell cricket products for human consumption, according to the government's open database.

The Aspire factory has found itself at the heart of an international conspiracy theory that claims a shadowy cabal is trying to force the population to eat insects as part of a sinister totalitarian plot.

News of the plant's completion in 2022 quickly circulated on social media pages that peddle in conspiracy theories. One Chinese post claimed the facility was part of a "Great Reset" agenda meant to prevent people from owning things.

A similar post on Black Sheep Truth Media, a Facebook group that promotes numerous conspiracy theories, claimed that the Aspire plant was a "solution" to "planned food shortages."