The larval form of the worm beetle is safe for human consumption, the European Union’s food watchdog said on Wednesday.
Photographer: Cyril Marcilhacy / Bloomberg
Photographer: Cyril Marcilhacy / Bloomberg
Insects moved one step closer to European dinner plates.
The dry yellow farinac worm, the larval form of the worm beetle, is safe for human consumption in all its forms and as a powdered additive, the European Union’s food surveillance dog said on Wednesday, ruling on a request from the French insect producer EAP Group SAS – Micronutris, now known as Agronutris.
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The opinion of the European Food Safety Authority is a first step before officials consider whether they want to approve the sale of snacks, protein bars, cookies and other foods that contain insects as ingredients.
The decision is a shock to the insect production business, which researcher Arcluster predicts will multiply by ten to exceed $ 4.1 billion globally by 2025. Insects are emerging as a more sustainable source of protein. thanks to its lower environmental impact and its high nutritional value, which attract records. venture capital financing and care of giants like Cargill Inc. i Nestle SA.
“It’s a clear and important milestone for the entire industry,” said Antoine Hubert, co-founder of France Ynsect SAS, which grows food worms and plans to expand into sports nutrition. “There will be a snowball effect. It will increase the potential to invest in more capacity and attract more funding to support growth. “
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This is the first assessment of the risk of insects as a novel food by Parma, EFSA based in Italy, which has another 14 pending applications for bugs – from crickets to locusts. The watchdog also said allergic reactions to food worms are possible, so more research is needed.
Europe is at the forefront of the thriving insect start scene, which identifies bugs as part of its insertion sustainable food agenda. EU authorities have invested money in research and factories, and the block already allows fish, dogs and cats to eat insect meal.
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Feeding animals, rather than humans, has shown the greatest promise. The International Insect Platform for Food and Feed predicts that birds and pigs will arrive later. Of Europe’s projected production of 3 million tonnes of insect protein by 2030, only 10% will go to human food, and much of the rest will go to feed, according to the Brussels lobby. the.
“There are more and more opportunities to work with new sustainable ingredients for the animal feed industry,” Helene Ziv, director of risk management and supply for Cargill’s animal nutrition business, said in an interview. “Actually, insects we firmly believe in. We are very comfortable with their nutritional quality.”
Cargill has a partnership with InnovaFeed SAS a supply insect protein for fish feed while Archer-Daniels-Midland Co. hosts a giant black soldier fly farm in Illinois. Nestle, the world’s largest food company, added one range of pet food made with insects.
A handful of EU states, including Finland, Belgium and the Netherlands, already allow the sale of foods that contain bugs in stores. Nearly 2,000 species of insects are found in the diets of some 2 billion people worldwide, but many consumers in Europe will have to surpass what Niccolo Manzoni, managing partner of the Paris headquarters Five Seasons Ventures, he calls it the “ick factor”.
And that’s not the only hurdle. Insect food manufacturers require substantial funds to increase production and be competitive in terms of costs, he said. The industry has a long way to go to reach the trade volumes now supplied by the marine ingredients sector, said Anne Mette Baek, director of European food and fish oil producers in Copenhagen.
Protix operates the largest insect farm in Europe.
Photographer: Nick Franken / Protix BV
One company that is already heading to the dinner table is Protix BV, which operates the largest insect farm in Europe and has investors such as Aqua-Spark and Rabobank’s private equity arm. The Dutch-based Dongen maker breeds black soldier fly larvae to feed fish and pets and last summer opened a line grocery store made with crickets and flour worms. Revenue quadrupled last year, CEO Kees Aarts said in an interview.
“It’s a lot of fun to be at the forefront of a whole new nutritional category,” Aarts said. “We will see a new range of emerging applications. We are scratching the surface of the potential that this little creature offers ”.
(Updates to the plans of Ynsect, a company changing its name from the second paragraph.)