REGULATIONS RECENTLY PASSED by the European Commission will allow insects to be used as food and added to certain foodstuffs across the continent.

In January, the commission implemented a regulation which will allow “Acheta domesticus (house cricket) partially defatted powder” to be added to foods such as bread, pasta and sauces.

The move has led some online commentators to express disgust over the idea of eating bugs – with some suggesting that the policy was secret or that the EU is forcing people to eat insects.

However, despite these claims, the approved ingredients, such as “partially defatted powder” from crickets, have been shown to be safe, and any food containing insects must be properly labeled.

Claims

The claim that the EU is “forcing” people to eat insects has spread across Europe in recent months, and versions of it have made its way to Ireland.

In most cases, the posts appear to be an effort to take aim at the European Union and its decision making processes, thereby undermining its institutions.

“The EU are now encouraging us to eat insects, with no real knowledge of potential hazards to health or possible disease that crickets may carry,” one Irish post read.

Another said: “Oh you got to love those EU directives that you never got any vote on or even told about by the media.”

Another post about the legislation on Instagram included a photo of a package of Cheddar Cheese Puffs with “Organic Cricket Flour” included in the ingredients.

However, the package shown is from a Canadian company, which appears quite proud of its use of this ingredient, citing its health and environmental benefits.

A post by Dutch eurosceptic commentator Eva Vlaardingerbroek, which cited the legislation and said “They want you to eat bugs without you knowing it”, has been retweeted more than 6,500 times at the time of writing.

And former leader of the UK Independence Party (UKIP) Nigel Farage said on his GB News programme: “There have been many people pointing the finger at the World Economic Forum, saying they’ve got these evil plans for our future. And one of them is we’d all be forced to eat insects.

“Absolute nonsense, I thought… until now. [...] On the labelling of the food it will say ‘Acheta Domesticus’. So we will understand fully what that means, obviously.”

However, Farage’s comment is misleading; the product will actually be labelled “Acheta domesticus (house cricket) partially defatted powder”, which clearly indicates it is made from crickets.

“We are about to have mass-produced insects put into our food”, Farage said, referencing the UK’s general alignment with the EU on food standards. “I’d say it’s time for a proper Brexit. I don’t want locusts for my breakfast!”

Insects as food

However, despite strong suggestions from Farage and others that eating insects is unnatural or unhealthy, humans have done so for thousands of years.

It is estimated that the consumption of insects takes place in about 140 countries currently, most commonly in east Asia and central and southern Africa.

A 2013 report from the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations (FAO) estimated that eating insects was “practised regularly by at least 2 billion people worldwide” and that “more than 1,900 species have reportedly been used as food”.

The global market for edible insects was to reach approximately €7.4 billion by 2030, according to one forecast, which included the use of insects in animal feed.

Acheta domesticus in particular is already eaten in Laos, Cambodia, Ghana, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, and Thailand, where about 20,000 farms grow the crickets.

The product is also approved for use in foods in Australia, New Zealand, Switzerland, Canada and the United States.

In the US in particular, the Food and Drug Administration has said that insects that are sold to eat must be “raised specifically for human food” and up to certain manufacturing standards.

Globally, the increasing practice of eating insects in recent years is, in part, due to a belief that they are both healthy for humans and more environmentally sustainable than meat (though some people do extol its taste).

Acheta domesticus, or the house cricket, is a good source of protein and B vitamins.

While this protein is incomplete – it doesn’t contain all the amino acids that the human body needs to consume – the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) noted that this does not pose a problem unless it is the only source of protein in a person’s diet.

It made this finding in a safety review ahead of regulations which allow it to be used as food in the EU, which is required before any insect-based products on the market

The EFSA review for the cricket powder “identified no other safety concerns than allergenicity”, saying that insects “may cause allergic reactions in subjects allergic to crustaceans, mites and molluscs”.

As such, the EU Commission regulation allowing the use of cricket powder notes that any product containing it should warn that some people may experience reactions to it.

The UN’s Food and Agriculture Organisation also notes that diseases which infect insects are “considered harmless to humans and animals” as insects are evolutionarily unlike mammals.

The group does say that insects can be a vector for other diseases, but that the “microbial risks associated with edible insects can be greatly controlled by following good hygienic practices”.

Another reason cited for the rising interest in insects as a food source is that they are considered an environmentally friendly way of farming protein.

“The low carbon, water and ecological footprints associated with insect production, as compared to those of other livestock species, make them attractive from an environmental sustainability standpoint,” the FAO report states.

“In general, edible insects are a good source of protein, fatty acids, vitamins, and minerals, though the nutritional profile is insect species dependent. This makes them a potential food source for healthy human diets.

“These factors make insects a good prospect to help address food insecurity issues related to a rising global population, without simultaneously harming the environment.”

There are also practical considerations for manufacturers: cricket flour can be used in a wide array of products, while its production requires smaller amounts of feed, land, water and time compared with animal products.

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