March 29. 2024. 9:41

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Insect spaghetti? EU agency greenlights another insect-based foodstuff


A powder made of yellow mealworms could be the next insect-based foodstuff to hit EU supermarket shelves after winning the approval of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), which concluded it raised no safety concerns.

The scientific opinion, which focused on the safety of UV-treated powder of yellow mealworms, was published on Thursday (1 June) at the behest of the European Commission, which tasked EFSA’s panel on novel foods and food allergens to investigate powdered larvae following an application from the French company, Nutri’Earth.

It concluded that the powder, made from the larval form of the insect species Tenebrio molitor, is both nutritional and safe to use under the company’s proposed uses.

These include as an ingredient in various food productions, including flour-
based food products like cakes, wheat bread and rolls, and pasta and cheese, with the target population stipulated as the “general population”.

While the panel raised some concerns the novel food may induce “primary sensitisation and allergic reactions” to yellow mealworm proteins, especially for those with allergies to crustaceans and dust mites, overall, the submitted toxicity studies “did not raise safety concerns”.

“As no adverse effects were observed either in the toxicological studies available in the literature on dried yellow mealworms or were identified from the history of use of the [novel food] and its source, the Panel considers that there are no safety concerns, provided the larvae are reared separately from the adults,” the opinion concludes.

The opinion is the seventh insect-derived novel food product that EFSA has assessed the safety of, following that of the dried yellow mealworm and frozen and dried formulations of locusts and crickets.

EU gives green light to bloc’s first edible insect

Dried yellow mealworms are the first insect food to receive the go-ahead for marketing authorisation in the EU after a favourable opinion from member states.

For IPIFF, the EU umbrella organisation for the insect sector, is a milestone in the broader commercialisation of edible insects in the EU, positioning them as a complementary source of high-quality protein.

“This positive opinion by EFSA showcases the opportunities ahead of the EU Protein Strategy, and in particular – the edible insects sector,” Christophe Derrien, IPIFF secretary general, said, adding that insect-derived products present a “sustainable addition” to the protein production mix in the bio-economy.

The opinion comes on the back of mounting concerns over the use of insects as foodstuffs.

For instance, a recent Slovakian study found that more than one in three Slovaks were worried that consuming insect proteins may endanger public health.

Meanwhile, the issue is increasingly gaining traction in Italy, where the right-wing government recently took steps to ban the use of insect flour in pasta to safeguard the country’s culinary traditions.

Next steps

As per the novel foods legislative process, the EFSA opinion will be presented by the
European Commission to EU member states to discuss whether to authorise the novel food and conditions of use.

In the event of a favourable vote by EU member states, it will then be up to the Commission to establish rules for its commercialisation in a process that could take up to seven months.

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