I'll leave fire-eating to the experts. In this article I will focus on the consumption of earth, a practice already finding widespread global use, but of which ,like on the consumption of air and water before, nobody has been making any money.

Earth, soil, mud, dirt, the names for this product are endless. I will call the product earth in this article, since I believe earth carries the most positive connotation. It contains a notion of simplicity, of groundedness of gravity, and precisely these notions are what draw people to this product.

So Why Would People Eat Dirt?

There are many reasons. In poor countries people eat earth because they can't afford anything else. Pregnant woman often eat all sorts of strange objects. It's a disease known as pica. One woman was found to consume half a kilo of clay a day. Certain monkeys in India seem to be eating dirt because it contains substances that raise their immunity to malaria. So in essence the people eating soil are already out there. What is needed is to identify the benefits of eating earth, showing people why it is better to eat earth that has been properly packaged and marketed rather than taking it form the backyard and to generally instil the notion in those that have never eaten earth that eating earth is not only acceptable, but that it is cool.

What Reasons Can We Say There are for Eating Earth?

1. Our body needs it. Pregnant woman have a lot of strange cravings. Some of them want to eat soil. Maybe they feel the soil contains substances their body needs which they are not getting
2. It contains substance not found in plant food. Vegans need vitamin B12 which is not found in plant food, but which is found in soil. For more information on this read my article Why Vegans shouldn't wash their vegetables.
3. It is environmental. Earth contains many nutrients. Does it make sense to first grow plants on them and have the plants absorb the nutrients before we eat them? Or even worse if we then wait another step for animals to absorb the plant nutrients before we eat them? All this puts strain on the world around us. Strain that can be avoided by eating earth directly.

So How Do We Reinvent Soil to Make it a Consumer Product?

1. We create a sense through advertising and editorials that soil used to be a key ingredient in man's nutrition package. An ingredient that got lost through an overemphasize on hygiene. As a result people nowadays have less immunity against diseases. By eating soil you can raise your immunity
2. Finding ways in which soil can be incorporated in food that will seem appetizing. The best way would be to market soil as a spice. Having people buy it in small containers from which they can sprinkle it on salads or in soups.
3. Distinguish between the soil in your backyard and the soil we sell. Our soil has to be processed to guarantee that it appeals to consumers. All large grains and hard parts need to be removed. When mixed with water it needs to become a soft paste without impurities. A variety that is chewy reminiscent of topsoil might also be marketable. In any case hard gritty part need to be removed. Also the product needs to have an earthy smell, but that smell should be mild. The taste might be the most difficult to control. Best would be if it were relatively tasteless like water or tofu and simply adopts the taste of whatever is added. Visually it should be a rich dark brown the same as coffee or chocolate.
4. We should emphasize the environmental benefits of eating soil, the fact that it puts absolutely no strain on the environment, hardly any energy is used in its production and it leaves virtually no waste.
5. We should appeal to specific lifestyle groups such as vegans to show them that using our product they can have their lifestyle without the need for artificial supplements.

What Would it Take to Set Up a Business Selling Soil?

1. A piece of uncontaminated land with nutrient rich soil.
2. It might be necessary to get your soil approved as a safe food product by the FDA.
3. A small factory to process the soil, eliminate the impurities, wash it and package it.
4. An effort to package the product attractively.
5. An advertising campaign stressing the benefits of earth.
6. A network of shops willing to sell the product.
7. A large bank account to hold all the profit you made.

So there you are, this is how you can make money from people eating dirt. The idea is sound. All is needed is an entrepreneur with the drive to make it a reality.

NOTE: If anyone likes this business idea they are welcome to try it. I don't believe that ideas are peoples property especially if they do nothing to put them into practice. Instead I feel people have the obligation to share the ideas they don't use and give others the opportunity to make them work. Having an idea doesn't mean you have the right to reap it's benefits. Only if you undertake the effort to put your idea into practice do you merit compensation.