Food Journal #5: Time has come to eat insects even in Europe?

European Union novel food regulations

With the first day of 2018, the European Union released a new version of the "Novel Food" regulation.
This is a list that includes all those foods that before May 1997, when the first regulation was published, were not particularly widespread in the EU. Over the years it has been integrated with innovative foods, or the result of new technologies or production processes with a high development rate. And also with foods spread elsewhere and far from the European agro-food tradition were added. Among the new entries there are for example chia seeds, rich in calcium and omega 3.

Not every new entry in the food sector, however, represents a "novel food". In fact, the European Union establishes three criteria to be respected in order to be included in the list:

• consumer safety;
• adequate labeling - in order to avoid the risk of confusing the consumer;
• in the event that the novel food replaces a food already on the market, it must have not worse nutritional characteristics.

From the point of view of food safety, the European Union relies on EFSA, the European Food Safety Authority, which is responsible for assessing whether novel food can be introduced or not without health risks.

This year, European Union also included ants, crickets and other edible insects in the list. This doesn't mean that we will automatically find these foods at the supermarket. There is still a margin of autonomy for states that can, for example, establish breeding protocols. So, producers and breeders will have to prove, through an online application, that their products are actually safe.

Are edible insects the food of the future?

It is probably just a matter of time for the insects to become the "food of the future" even in Europe. Of course, there should be clear rules regarding the breeding and production.

According to a report on edible insects written by the FAO, in Europe there are between 10 and 25 suitable species. In addition, there is some historic tradition of insects consumption. For example in Carnia, a mountain region in the North-East of Italy, it is common practice among children, in the first months of summer, to eat the mussel-like pollen that contains many sugars. While in Lombardy, in the XXVIII century it was normal to suckle the beetles.

Today, however, the idea of ​​eating insects is considered a taboo, perhaps because it suggests an idea of ​​poverty and misery that, in Europe, one wants to escape. However, the experts are quite different: in fact, they say that it is necessary to introduce these foods into the diet to ensure the food sustainability of the world population in constant growth.

Why eat insects? Nutritional aspects and sustainability

The first element that pushes for the insertion of edible insects into the diet is the nutritional profile: in fact, the "meat" of an insect is a valid source of protein for the body. For example, 100 grams of African termites contain about 610 calories, 38 grams of protein and 17 grams of fat; the same amount of moths brings about 357 calories, 46 grams of protein and 17 fat.

Another element that is reaffirmed by the promoters of entomophagy is the sustainability of breeding: in fact, it does not depend on the availability of land and does not require a particular waste of resources, on the contrary they also feed on organic waste.

Finally, as we pointed out, specifically dealing with the reasons for eating insects, there is a basic question: according to ISPI estimates, by 2050 the world population will increase to 10 billion. In this context, edible insects, from the point of view of FAO, represent the economic and nutritious alternative that could concretely reduce a serious and felt problem such as the one of the world hunger.

Do you usually eat insects or have you ever eaten them?

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