A regulation on the approval of yellow mealworms as food will be passed by the European Commission in the coming weeks./Gerald Herbert / AP
A regulation on the approval of yellow mealworms as food will be passed by the European Commission in the coming weeks./Gerald Herbert / AP
According to the European Commission, as part of an agreement between EU countries, insects are making their way to dinner plates across Europe to label them as “novel foods” that are safe to eat.
The confirmation means the 27-nation bloc is about to pass an EU law that will allow residents and visitors to dig their teeth into a bowl of dried yellow mealworm, which is the larvae of the Tenebrio molitor beetle.
What is a novel food?
Novel foods refer to foods that were not consumed in significant amounts by people in the EU before May 15, 1997, when the first Novel Food Regulation came into force. While there is no isolated evidence that insects have been consumed as food in the past, and this is considered normal in many parts of the world, no EU Member State has made any significant confirmation of human consumption before May 15, 1997.
The move is one of the final steps in the process of approving yellow mealworm as a novel food.
Novel foods must be safe for the consumer. The European Commission said the insect can be used to make burgers, protein shakes and cookies. However, yellow mealworm must be clearly labeled as such when used in a food product, especially to alert allergic people and avoid misleading people.
This novel food is intended to be used in its entirety as either a dried insect, a snack, or a food ingredient.
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Why are insects allowed as food?
In the EU, insects currently represent a small niche market as food. The ecological advantages of rearing insects for food are based on the high feed conversion efficiency of insects, lower greenhouse gas emissions, significantly less use of water and arable land and the use of insect-based bioconversion as a marketable solution to reduce food waste.
Researchers, who have observed the high protein levels of yellow mealworms for years, say the larvae can quickly grow into a variety of substances, including brewer’s yeast, wheat bran, corn starch, and potato blossom.
The thriving insect industry is important not only for feeding the human mouth, but animals as well. CGTN Europe’s RAZOR team previously visited Entocycle in London, where local food waste is being converted into animal feed.
Entocycle founder Kieran Olivares Whitaker says there are two main problems in the global food supply chain that have been highlighted by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Countries like the UK are heavily dependent on food imports, around 80 or 90 percent, and these are two important protein products, soy meal and fish meal, that we import internationally from Brazil and South America like Chile and Argentina. This poses major problems for other countries, the food to produce for us. “
He continues: “COVID-19 has perfectly demonstrated the problems in the supply chain with the catching of food in ports. The time between the delivered products has just increased massively. So we need hyperlocal, sustainable protein production and black soldier flies one of the most important Solutions to this problem. “
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Continue reading: High protein flour from the world’s largest insect farm
Will other insects be allowed soon?
The Commission announced that there are currently 11 additional applications for insects to become “novel foods” in the EU and these are under review by the European Food Safety Authority.
The global bug business is already alive and well. The world’s largest insect farm is being built in northern France and is scheduled to open in early 2022. Antoine Hubert, CEO of Ynsect, says development is important because “the world needs more protein, more food and more feed to feed the animals that will ultimately produce.” Meat and fish.”
As there is a growing demand for protein in addition to a growing population, the farm is expected to produce 100,000 tons of insect products such as flour and oil per year. Mealworm may be on the menu at the moment, but it looks like other insect specialties will be added across Europe.
Video editing: Pedro Duarte and Terry Wilson
