The latest, er, buzz coming out of Austin?

Taking the ‘ick’ out of crickets — that is, eating them.

Yep, you read that correctly. Hopper Foods, a new startup out of Texas, is on a mission via Kickstarter to do away with the stigma of eating bugs…and all kinds of other yummy, protein-packed critters for that matter.

It’s important, they argue, because insects are a sustainable source of high-quality protein, which we need to capitalize on to help feed our growing population and lessen our environmental impact.

Now, they’re not saying beef is bad (that’d be sacrilege to this born & bred Midwesterner!), but just that we should think about diversifying our diets.

And their solution comes in the form of an all-natural energy bar made from cricket protein, which they hope will ease us all into the idea of eating bugs for breakfast — or any other time of day, for that matter.

Made of nuts, fruits, seeds, raw honey and cricket flour, the bars pack a serious punch with more than eight grams of protein per serving, low glycemic energy, low fat, low sugar, plenty of calcium and potassium, plus micronutrients and antioxidants.

But the real question, I suppose, is how they taste.

Well, I’ll admit, I didn’t exactly rip open the package as soon as it arrived. But once I got over the initial “fear factor” and took the plunge, I was pleasantly surprised.

According to the company, there are about 20 crickets in each bar. But since they’re pulverized to a powder, there’s no way you’d know. Believe me, I inspected it closely.

What I did notice was that the bars are chock full of fruits, nuts and seeds, plus they come in some pretty inventive flavors, such as Peanut Butter/Cherry/Cacao, Blueberry/Cranberry/Pistachio and Kale/Seaweed/Ginger/Green Tea.

An all-natural, nutritious, sustainable high-protein snack? Now, that’s just the cricket.

But the real question is…