A group of freshmen in Da Nang has won the top prize in the Da Nang University of Foreign Language Studies (UFLS)-hosted Hult Prize for their project on producing food from cricket powder.

The team won the Hult Prize at UFLS competition for their cricket powder-made food production project

The wining team  members are Huynh Tran Thu Ha, Le Ngoc Uyen My and Doan Thi Diem Hang, all from the Da Nang University of Foreign Language Studies, and Nguyen Le Phuoc Dat who is a freshman of the Economics and Philosophy Faculty of the University of Miami in Ohio, the USA, but now stays in Da Nang to study online due to Covid-19.

The young and talented students came up with the idea of the project after witnessing devastating floods dealing a staggering blow to the livelihoods of thousands of people across Central Viet Nam last October. Therefore, they decided to produce nutrient-rich food from cricket powder for those in need, especially natural disaster victims in Viet Nam.

Dat remarked, cricket powder, also called cricket flour, is made of finely milled roasted crickets. Pure cricket powder has a light and pleasant nutty flavour. Cricket powder’s primary function in foods is to substitute for meat, as it provides a high concentration of the same key nutrients—easily digestible, complete protein (with all 9 essential amino acids), vitamin B12, iron and a powerful prebiotic fibre called chitin—while being much cleaner and way more sustainable.

Dat said such cricket powder-made food has been very popular in such foreign countries as the USA and Thailand.

“We planned to make cricket biscuits, cricket sandwiches and cricket noodles that are affordable, nutritious and easy-to-sell in school/ company canteens, and cafes” Dat noted.

With that idea in mind, the dedicated, talented students together visited Anh Huy-owned cricket farm in Ngu Hanh Son District’s Hoa Quy Ward to learn about the insect.

After listening to the young people’s idea, Anh Huy was willing to give a helping hand to these students by providing free-of-charge crickets for them to produce test products.

Initially, the group members faced many difficulties because no one had knowledge and experience in food processing or startup business development. However, they tried every effort to learn everything they don’t know on the internet and from their predecessors.

Huynh Tran Thu Ha, a group member, said that, the contest offered an opportunity for her to study and cultivate practical and team-working skills in addition to the knowledge about the food industry and startups.

Meanwhile, for Dat, the contest helped him discover his own strengths and weaknesses.

Thanks to its good idea and innovative business model, the cricket powder-made food production project won the top prize in the Hult Prize at UFLS in December 2020.

Of special note, this project has advanced to the finals of the 2021 Hult Prize Southeast Asia Regional which is slated to take place in April.

First held in 2009, the Hult Prize, referred to as the "Nobel Prize for students" by media outlets worldwide, is the world’s largest social impact competition. Run in partnership with the United Nations, student teams come together to compete to solve a pressing social issue by developing a scalable, sustainable social enterprise.

Within the framework of the Hult Prize, the Hult Prize on Campus programme has been organised universities across Viet Nam since last year. The programme allows student leaders on campus to organise their own, localised version of the Hult Prize, using a turn-key tool kit.

As part of the Hult Prize on Campus programme, the so-called Hult Prize at UFLS was held in December 2020.

By PHONG LAN - Translated by M.D