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The SPIN project - Sustainable Protein through Insect Nutrition: Project overview

Dr Rachel Gibson, Senior Lecturer Nutritional Sciences, Academic Lead King’s Food Living Laboratory, Department of Nutritional Sciences

MCURC Research and Education Working Group – 16th June 2026

School of Life Course & Population Sciences

Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine

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Collaborative project

Research Team

Nutritional Sciences

  • Rachel Gibson: public health and nutritional research
  • Fiona Lavelle: nutrition and qualitative research
  • Yemisi Latunde-Dada: iron metabolism and insect protein nutrition
  • Georgia Rogerson: SPIN Research Assistant
  • Datin Shah: SPIN Research Fellow – psychology and consumer behaviour research

King's Business School

  • Fatima Wang: expertise in marketing strategy and sustainability

Department of Geography

  • Ragner Löfstedt: risk communication and management

King's Food

  • Yvonne Alford: King’s Food Head of Student Experience & Living Lab point of contact
  • Graeme Collie: Associate Director of King's Food

City St Georges

  • Katy Tapper: consumer psychology and behaviour

https://www.citystgeorges.ac.uk/news-and-events/news/2026/march/how-green-is-your-grub

Stakeholder committee

  • Ed Latham: former Head of Marketing at Wahaca
  • Adam Banks: Bugvita
  • Mark Breen MacCormick: Hubbub
  • Geoff Knott: UK Edible Insect Association
  • Jeff Brunstrom: from University of Bristol with expertise in food choice and food intake research
  • Christine Barnes: King’s College London (Geography) interest in alternative proteins and sustainability education

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Background

  • Insects offer a more sustainable, nutrient-dense alternative to lean red meat that currently provides vital minerals to UK diets [iron, zinc, B12, protein] (1)
  • Uptake in the UK remains low due to food neophobia, cultural norms, and perceptions of disgust - 67% of UK adults are unwilling to try insect-based foods(2)
  • Other meat alternatives also face barriers: plant-based products often lack equivalent nutritional profiles and may be highly processed(3), while lab-grown meat requires substantial research and development and faces public scepticism
  • This seed project aims to assess the feasibility of introducing insect-based protein as a sustainable and nutritious alternative to red meat within institutional food service
  1. Latunde-Dada GO, Yang W, Vera Aviles M (2016). In Vitro Iron Availability from Insects and Sirloin Beef. J Agric Food Chem. 64(44):8420-8424. doi: 10.1021/acs.jafc.6b03286.
  2. All About Feed Survey: 25% of UK consumers happy to try edible insects [online] https://www.allaboutfeed.net/all-about/new-proteins/survey-25-of-uk-consumers-happy-to-try-edible-insects/ [date cited 8/10/2026]
  3. Latunde-Dada GO, Kajarabille N, Rose S, Arafsha SM, Kose T, Aslam MF, Hall WL, Sharp PA (2023) Content and Availability of Minerals in Plant-Based Burgers Compared with a Meat Burger. Nutrients.;15(12):2732. doi: 10.3390/nu15122732.

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Project overview

Online hypothetical menu choice study

Inform marketing campaign

Recipe development

Marketing

Menu boards, signage, social media

King’s Food launch 27th Apri

Waterloo and Guy's campuses

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Evaluation period – to 26th June

Sales monitoring & consumer acceptability

Sales data and survey

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King’s Catering Staff survey

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July - Sensory panel

Tasting session with nutrient (protein)-matched dishes with and without insect powder

Full results reporting October 2026

Menu item. Chillie jacket potato topping with 15g cricket powder

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‘The Chilli Cricket One’

King’s Kitchen Waterloo

Henri’s Restaurant (Guy’s)

Countertop messaging signage + cricket powder bag

Free chilli taster signage with link to fact sheet

The Chilli Cricket One

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27.04.2026 – 26.06.2026

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Project reflections so far

  • Enablers
    • Novelty and health benefits (more than sustainability)
  • Barriers and challenges
    • Customers - Cultural and norms
    • Catering - Allergens to to clearly communicated
  • Polarised view on ‘plant’ based nutrition

– insect protein should be part of the scientific exploration and could be a potential solution long term global healthy diet

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Thank You

SPIN project is funded by King’s College London – King’s Climate and Sustainability Seed Fund (Round 6)

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Department of Nutritional Sciences�Rachel.gibson@kcl.ac.uk�

School of Life Course & Population Sciences

Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine