Insects (and insect parts) sold as food in the EU are subject to authorisation under the Novel Foods Regulation. Insects and products made from them that have already been on the market can be placed on the market under a transitional regulation until a final decision is made on the product based on authorisation applications submitted until 2019. The problem with this transitional regulation, however, is that insect products are currently being placed on the market that have not yet been assessed by EFSA – the European Food Safety Authority. This may also pose health risks.
1.) Authorised and “prospective” arthropods
The first long-awaited arthropod authorised as a novel food arrived in May – the common mealworm, i.e. the beetle’s larva, whole, dried, powdered in a wide variety of products – e.g. energy bars, pasta or biscuits – can be used officially and in an authorised manner in the production of food in the EU; since then, the domestic cricket has also been “joined”.
The common mealworm was followed in November 2021 by the second insect, the European locust, and several other arthropods are currently awaiting authorisation as novel foods, such as
mealworm (larva of the common mealworm, whole or ground)
tropical cricket, dried
larva of the black soldier fly
male larva of the honey bee
The “storehouse” of arthropods seems almost inexhaustible anyway, as there are around 2000 known species of various beetles, bees, wasps, locusts, crickets, caterpillars and worms – which are potentially suitable for consumption as food.
2.) Does everyone love it already?
Arthropods are still a small market segment, but some market research institutes estimate that the industry will be worth more than $1 billion by 2023, and could even exceed $8 billion by 2030 – an eightfold increase in sales in just a few years.
Companies such as Nestlé, Cargill and PepsiCo are keeping an eye on the growing market, and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation has also stepped in to fund pioneering companies.
Edible insects have always been a normal part of the diet of around two billion people, especially in Africa, Latin America and parts of Asia.
There’s a reason for this, as the little critters are high in high-quality protein, fibre and a number of essential micronutrients.
3.) Why should we love them?
Edible insects have long been used as feed to meet the protein needs of farm animals.
But they also offer many benefits to humans, such as being a source of protein and B vitamins, omega-3 fatty acids, B vitamins and important minerals such as iron, zinc, magnesium, or phosphorus, manganese, copper and selenium – but little potassium and calcium -, but the nutritional value of insects cannot be generally assessed, given the many subspecies.
Preparations made from insects can be high in protein, although the actual protein content can be overestimated if we also take into account chitin, an essential component of the exoskeleton of insects, which can make up a large part of 100g of the animal – the protein content ranges between 40-60% on average, and the highest protein content is in the so-called Orthoptera – such as crickets.
The exact amount of protein thus varies depending on the type of insect and is influenced by a number of factors, such as the stage of development of the animal and what it has eaten, i.e. the type of feed.
Monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids are found in all insects and can be present in higher concentrations than in certain fish species – however, this indicator can also be influenced by the optimal composition of the animal’s diet.
Reliable data on vitamins and minerals are still very lacking and when considering the level of nutrients, vitamins and minerals provided by arthropods, the amount consumed must also be taken into account.
Currently, products that contain insects in small quantities (5-10%) are mainly available on the EU market.