Yellow flour worm snacks, smoothies, biscuits, pasta and hamburgers could soon be mass-produced across Europe, after the insect became the first to be considered safe for human consumption by the EU food safety agency.
Delicacies may not be advisable for everyone, however. Those with allergies to shrimp and dust may experience a reaction to Tenebrio molitor larvae, if eaten in powder as part of a recipe or as a crunchy snack, perhaps dipped in chocolate.
The conclusion of scientists from the EU food safety agency, following a request from the French food insect production company, Agronutris, it is expected to lead to approval across the EU within months of the yellow flour worm as a product suitable for supermarket shelves and kitchen pantries across the continent.
The insect’s main components are protein, fat and fiber, offering a potentially sustainable and low-carbon food source for the future. When dry, the worm-like insect is said to taste very peanut.
Ermolaos Ververis, an agency scientific officer, said: “This first EFSA risk assessment of an insect as a novel food could pave the way for first approval across the EU. Our risk assessment is a decisive and necessary step in the regulation of novel foods, supporting EU policy makers in making science-based decisions and ensuring consumer safety. “
For key players in the insect-like food industry, the potential of their protein-rich foods has been undermined by the lack of approval across the EU. The products are prohibited from sale in France, Germany, Italy and Spain, among other European countries. Without EFSA approval, they also faced the possibility of being banned in other parts of the continent.
The United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark and Finland have already taken a permissive approach to an EU law that requires food not consumed before 1997 to obtain authorization from Brussels for novel foods.
British, Dutch, Belgian, Danish and Finnish regulators have decided that the EU directive does not apply to products of animal origin used for food. But in 2018 a new EU law sought to bring some clarity. It stipulated that insect-based dishes would require authorization for new foods, putting the nascent insect food industry in the EU on death row.
The products remained available in those countries as a result of a transition period to allow companies that already produced insect foods to operate until they received the final sentence. And the potential for mass production and expansion in product ranges in Britain, among others, has been contained.
Companies such as Micronutris, Protifarm in the Netherlands, Essento in Switzerland and Entogourmet in Spain are preparing to increase their operations.
Insect-based foods have long been seen as part of the solution to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in food production. Yellow flour is the larval form of Tenebrio molitor, a species of insect that belongs to the Tenebrionidae family, or dark beetle. They are usually fed on the farms with flour or wheat bran, although they are omnivorous.
Eggs are separated from the mating adults by sieving so that the larvae can grow separately. The post-harvest process includes rinsing the larvae with water, killing them by immersing them in boiling water for up to five minutes and dehydrating them in ovens, packaging and storage.
Mario Mazzocchi, an economic statistician and professor at the University of Bologna, said: “There are clear environmental and economic benefits if you replace traditional animal protein sources with those that require less feed, produce less waste and result in less greenhouse gas emissions. . Lower costs and prices can increase food security and the new demand will open up economic opportunities as well, but this can also affect existing sectors. “
There were 15 applications for insect based food products. The four in the final stages of the EFSA process are fresh and dry adult crickets, grasshoppers and beetles, also known as flour caterpillar. From the moment the EFSA opinion is published, the European Commission has seven months to submit a proposal for authorization, which will then be voted on by member states.
Giovanni Sogari, a social and consumer researcher at the University of Parma, said that many consumers’ scruples about insect-based food products may eventually ease. “There are cognitive reasons derived from our social and cultural experiences – the so-called ‘yuck factor’ – that make the idea of eating insects repellent for many Europeans,” he said. “With time and exposure, these attitudes can change.”
EFSA scientists who examined the safety of the yellow mealworm recommended that it should not be eaten by people with allergies to crustaceans and crustaceans, as there was a risk of an oral and skin reaction.
How to eat: yellow caterpillar cupcakes
Dried yellow mealworms can be eaten as an aperitif and have a variety of flavors. Alternatively, the insect can be turned into a flour-like ingredient for dessert.
Thanks to a recipe provided by the edible insect company Jiminis, a yellow mealworm cupcake is easy to prepare with three tablespoons of cocoa, 60g of margarine, an egg, a tablespoon of low-fat yogurt, 30g of flour and 25g of powdered mealworm – with some whole ones left for later.
Add a little water to the cocoa and mix in the melted butter, egg, yogurt and a little yeast. Add some freshly crushed mealworms. Distribute the mixture between the forms and cook for 20 minutes. Grease the top of freshly baked cupcakes with a little icing sugar – and add the spare flour worms on top to decorate.