A Japanese company that specializes in making protein derived from crickets has said it’s filed for bankruptcy. The closure comes after a school in Tokushima experimented with the protein powder, prompting a conspiracy theory wave from Japan’s right wing.
The company, Gryllus (Japanese: グリラス), is named after a species of cricket, the Gryllus bimaculatus. Tokushima University researcher Watanabe Takahito wanted to popularize cricket protein due to its high nutritional value and low environmental impact.
At first, the company saw success. It launched a product with popular “off-brand” Japanese retailer MUJI and was running experiments with NTT. It had solid funding and around 50 employees.
However, all hell broke loose online when the company teamed up with a school in its home prefecture of Tokushima to offer food containing cricket protein to students. Gryllus and the school confined the experiment to a single food item, a pumpkin croquette. Students knew what was in the food and had to opt-in to trying it.
The conspiracy theories start
That wasn’t good enough for Japan’s right wing. Once the news hit Japanese media, conspiracy theorists latched onto it as evidence that the “deep state” and Powers That Be were trying to kill people en masse and pave the way for “The Great Reset.” Disinformation spread, saying that the cricket powder was poisonous and caused infertility.
As usual, much of the disinformation was based on half-truths. For example, the claim that crickets caused infertility was based on signs in stores selling crickets in China, warning pregnant women they shouldn’t consume them.
“There are tons of foods you should avoid when pregnant,” said Watanabe, “including coffee and sashimi.”
“It was all fake views, created intentionally to increase impressions and generate profit online.”
Not done fighting
Soon, the company’s contact form was overwhelmed. Some messages contained death threats against Watanabe himself. PR specialists advised Watanabe against arguing against the conspirators, saying it was pointless. (“They’d just say the accurate data and info we showed them was lies. There was no way to have a fair debate.”)
The storm subsided after around three months. However, the damage was done. Major combinis like Family Mart pulled Gryllus’ products from its shelves. The company became saddled with debt and reduced its employees from 50 down to a mere five.
The company is now in the midst of bankruptcy proceedings. However, Watanabe says he’s aiming for a comeback.
“I’m backing away for now. But you can bet I’m going to forge a business model that can stand up to the online mob.”
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Sources
破産した「食用コオロギ」ベンチャー企業の社長が明かす“SNS炎上騒動”の全真相 それでも「リベンジ」を誓うワケ. AERA Dot
ネトウヨはなぜコオロギ食に反対か. 村田基の逆転日記
