Like with plant-based meat, the key is that crickets and other critters require far less land and water to raise, which means far less greenhouse gases are emitted to put ants on your antipasto instead of beef. A kilogram of cow (that's 8.8 patriotic American quarter-pounders) requires 10 kg of feed to produce, while a kilo of cricket meat requires only 1.7 kg of feed. Bugs are also less prone to disease (mad beetle disease isn't really a thing) and require just 10% of the land that cows do. And while driving by a meal worm farm would be less scenic than a majestic herd of steers on a road trip, that's a sacrifice we're just going to have to make.
The insect market is estimated to reach $722.9 million in revenue by 2024, with beetles leading the way. In America, the industry is currently powered by the least "icky" delivery methods -- crickets that have been ground into powder as a flavorless addition to soups and bakery products, or processed into unadventurous foods like protein bars and chips, where there's nary a thorax in sight. Pet food is also being targeted as a good market for bugs (given that your dog will eat its own poop, they're not exactly concerned about where the protein in their chow comes from).
But the real potential for growth is in convincing Americans that it's not gross to add scorpions to your salad or shovel handfuls of honey mustard stinkbugs into your mouth while watching football. (You'll watch 16 Browns games a season but are too good to eat bugs, Cleveland?)
Now time to sit back and wait for Taco Bell to drop the Cricket Loco Burrito Supreme.