The mealworm (larvae of the flour beetle) and the migratory locust were the first two insects authorized to be traded as food by the European Commission (EC) and now the house cricket (Acheta domesticus) will also be considered edible in the European Union, a decision taken “after a strict evaluation by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which concluded that the consumption of this insect is safe in the uses presented by the applicant company.” In addition, any food that contains cricket must report it on its label to identify “any potential allergic reaction.”
Since last February 11, domestic crickets can already be consumed in various presentations: dry as an appetizer, frozen, or as an ingredient in food in powder form, such as protein products or cookies. On December 8, the Member States had already given their approval to the marketing of crickets as food for human consumption. This authorization has been granted for a period of five years and only to the Dutch company Fair Insects BV (initial applicant), although later other applicants could also obtain it.
The authorization to market this insect is part of the ‘From farm to table’ strategy with which Europe intends to ensure that food production and consumption are carried out in a more sustainable way, and in its report the Commission has recalled in a statement that this insect is a “substantial part of the daily diet of hundreds of millions of people around the world.”
Eating insects helps protect the environment
There are a million species of insects on the entire planet – which represents 80% of the animal kingdom – and some 2,000 of them are already consumed as food by millions of people. Their nutritional properties – they provide proteins, fats, fibers and other nutrients – make them a food alternative that can help combat climate change, since agriculture and livestock generate a large amount of greenhouse gases, while the impact in the environment of farming insects for human consumption it is much lower.
The nutritional properties of insects – they provide proteins, fats, fibers and other nutrients – make them a food alternative that can help combat climate change
Since the EU’s novel food regulation came into force in 2018, numerous applications have been submitted to EFSA for approval of a wide variety of food products, some derived from plants, algae, non-indigenous fruits and other edible insects. Regarding the latter, the statement from the Community Executive indicates that the studies of the FAO (United Nations Organization for Food and Agriculture) consider them a nutritional source with a high content of fats and proteins.
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