Insects are becoming a menu on European dining tables after the regulator of food safety was approved by the group of mealworms as safe for human consumption.
Wednesday’s announcement means that the grains – actually beetle larvae – could soon be ground and used as protein – rich flour to make pasta and bread, or as a whole consumed in stir – fry and other recipes. The next steps involve the approval of marketing and labeling, and the need for the European Commission to sign the decision of the European Food Safety Authority.
The ruling provides a lift for companies such as Micronutris, a French edible insect farm that submitted the application, and other new ventures, including AgriProtein, South Africa, Protix, and another French company, Ynsect, which is setting up a new farm with production build. capacity of more than 100 000 tons of bugs per year.
The bigger question is perhaps whether Europeans want to eat bugs – a popular snack in parts of Asia and Latin America – even if they are ground into flour.
Giovanni Sogari, a researcher of social and consumption patterns at the University of Parma in Italy, said that many will initially find it difficult. “There are cognitive reasons derived from our social and cultural experiences, the so-called ‘yuck factor’, which makes the idea of eating insects repulsive to many Europeans,” he said. “With time and exposure, such attitudes can change.”