‘High protein content’: Insects set to crawl their way onto Europeans’ plates as EU regulator rules MEALWORMS are SAFE to eat
Europeans are a step closer to finding all sorts of creepy crawlies on the menu as the EU Food Safety Agency (EFSA) has officially deemed the first such species – a yellow mealworm, to be specific – safe to eat.
The development means that people buying pasta, burgers and even biscuits in a store somewhere in Europe might soon find out that their food is made of mealworms, thoroughly dried and ground into powder, while those of a more adventurous nature may be able to buy a baggie of whole dried insects as a snack.
Such possibilities are about to open up following the decision by the European food safety watchdog. The EFSA panel has concluded that dried yellow mealworms are “safe under proposed uses” and their consumption is “not nutritiously disadvantageous,” the agency said in what it called“the first completed assessment of a proposed insect-derived food product.”
Despite being called a ‘worm,’ mealworms are in fact a larval form of a darkling beetle known as Tenebrio Molitor, or the flour beetle. The “novel food,” as it is referred to in the EFSA opinion paper, is deemed to have “high protein content.” However, it might not be an appropriate snack for everyone, with the agency warning that those suffering from allergies to crustaceans and dust mites could suffer adverse reactions.
The decision marks another step by the EU towards making insect-based menus a reality across the bloc. Back in 2018, the union updated its legislation to make it easier for all sorts of “innovative” firms to get into the European market by obtaining approval from the EU regulator.
Any company which satisfies the conditions and labelling requirements set by European Food Safety Authority can now sell an authorized product. And it seems there has been no shortage of those willing to fill Europe’s shop shelves with all sorts of rather unusual edible products.
https://www.rt.com/news/512452-eu-regulator-worms-safe-eat/