I love our London friends - they can really make an impression - for instance the story "Chocolate bugs fly off the shelves at Fortnum & Mason" is a real hoot and can really tell us something about the business over there at Fortnum & Mason - but I suppose that is beside the point. Chocolate and insects both have a rich history, and occasionally pop up together in the media - this is likely due to our society and how this is an oddity in our culture.

In this story the idea came to the creator of the products after traveling to countries where insects are comonly eaten as delicacies, and of course by the poor. Insects are high in protein and can be quite sanitary - even when eaten raw. This may be surprising but from many of the articles I have read there is a real terror in the minds of people regarding eating insects but if you eat processed food you likely already have eaten parts or the eggs of insects and not even known it (Leggo my insect Eggo!) because our FDA has stardards which allow a certain amount of insect parts and other undesirables into the food chain. See below:

1.2.5 Defect Action Levels (DALs) (Subpart G)
The last subpart of the food GMPs allows FDA to define maximum defect action levels (DALs) for a defect that is natural or unavoidable even when foods are produced under GMPs as set out in the other subparts of the regulations. Generally, these defects are not hazardous to health at low levels; they include rodent filth, insects, or mold. The DALs are defined for individual commodities and may be obtained by request from FDA, which produces a Handbook on Defect Action Levels for Food. They are also available from the FDA Web site Defect Action Levels handbook. Table 1-3 provides examples of the maximum DALs for select food products. Manufacturers are expected to use quality control operations that reduce the level of the defect to the lowest possible levels. Those exceeding maximum DALs will be considered in violation of Section 402 (3)(a) of the FDCA.

See, insects can't be that bad - and if your eating them in the Good Ole U.S. of A. they have to be pretty sanitary - so why not try them covered in chocolate! I have even found a few places where you can do just that:

Chocolate Covered Insects Packs: 24CT Box $39.60

We don`t know about you, but the first thing we think when we catch a cockroach skittering across a kitchen floor? CHOCOLATE. In fact, there`s no grub worm, slug, or grasshopper we wouldn`t like to see smothered in the gooey good stuff. Now there`s some good-eatin`. You?

Chocolate Covered Crickets 24 for $24

Our crickets are oven roasted to perfection and then covered with the finest chocolate available to create one truly unforgettable exotic snack.

These prices are pretty steep for chocolate covered bugs but I will give it a try - it's worth it to at least eat them as a novelty and not in my frozen waffles.

Before I forget - check out that lady in the picture... with the caption "Creepy crawly: Guy Ferneyhough likened the tarantula to Chinese seaweed" oh man and I glad I live in the states the women there are just so... London looking! She does look like shes having fun though - redheads always  have more fun!