Nutritionists are serious about introducing a new protein source in the diet of the Europeans. In a couple of weeks, the EU food safety authority is widely expected to approve using edible insects in the food industry. In fact, some producers are certain that outdated food technologies will benefit from “novel” ingredients such as whole or ground mealworms, locusts, crickets, and grasshoppers. They are all safe for human nutrition. Edible insects are sure to find fans among health-conscious consumers. So, the question is to authorize their sales and mass production in the EU countries. Demand generates supply. “We reckon these authorizations will be a breakthrough for the sector so we are looking for those authorizations quite impatiently. They are taking the necessary time, they are very demanding on information, which is not bad. But we believe that once we have the first novel food given a green light from EFSA that will have a snowball effect,” said Christophe Derrien, the secretary general of the International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed. Interestingly, the UK, the Netherlands, Belgium, and Finland found some loopholes in the EU legislation long ago. Their national regulators permitted the production of insect-based food and its sales in supermarkets. 500 tons of such food is produced in those countries every year.
