Within the EU, other insects in powder form can now be added to food.
Here are answers to the most important questions.
Munich/Brussels - The European Union is continuing on the path it started in 2021 with the release of "novel foods".
At that time, the larvae of the yellow mealworm and the migratory locust had already been approved, followed in 2022 by the house cricket ("cricket").
Now comes the grain mold beetle.
The new EU regulation applies from January 24, 2023.
Worst fears quickly surfaced online.
A Twitter user, for example, wrote that "we - without knowing it - are fed with insects".
Others believe that food quality is deteriorating.
The Bavarian Economics Minister Hubert Aiwanger also made disparaging remarks about insects in food.
But the fears and worries are unfounded, after all, insects have been valued and consumed as a source of protein in other cultures for thousands of years.
We clarify.
Dealing with insects in food is clearly regulated within the EU
The handling of newly approved insects is clearly regulated in EU implementing regulations.
From Thursday (January 26), larvae of the grain mold beetle (Alphitobius diaperinus) may be added to certain foods in “dried, frozen, powdered and paste-like form”.
In the EU, only the Dutch company Ynsect NL BV is allowed to sell the larvae, and initially only for five years,
reports
tz.de.
Two days earlier, the Vietnamese company Cricket One Co. Ltd. is allowed to market “partially defatted powder from Acheta domesticus (house cricket) in the Union.” The powder can be found in numerous products, as
heidelberg24
also reports.
+
Fried crickets are normal in Asia, but in Germany insects are a niche food item.
© picture alliance/dpa |
Chris Humphrey
Can you eat house crickets or grain mold beetles without knowing it?
The admixture is permitted, for example, in bread and rolls, biscuits and crackers, baking mixes and pasta, sauces and soups, meat and milk substitutes, potato products or chocolate.
As soon as there is insect powder in a product, it must not be declared as vegan or vegetarian.
It is impossible for house crickets, mealworms or grain mold beetles to be eaten unknowingly.
Food doesn't have to say that it contains insect repellent, but it does have to be in the list of ingredients.
It says "Acheta domesticus (house cricket, house cricket), frozen" or "Powder from larvae of Alphitobius diaperinus (grain mold beetle)".
Insect powder in food: what allergy sufferers need to consider
According to the EU, information for allergy sufferers must also be noted on the relevant food.
The chitin contained in insect powder can also trigger allergic reactions.
People who are hypersensitive to house dust mites, crustaceans or molluscs are at risk.
The European Food Safety Authority, on the other hand, classifies house cricket powder in the proposed amounts as harmless.
It is also important to mention that no animals collected in the wild end up in the products.
According to the consumer advice centers, edible insects that are offered in the food trade in Germany all come from controlled breeding.
(mt)
List of rubrics: © picture alliance/dpa |
Chris Humphrey
