EFSA issues scientific report on edible insects

Insects such as houseflies and silkworms, are safe for consumption, finds research conducted by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

However, the agency has cautioned that safe consumption of these insects depends on how they have been raised and processed.

The European Commission has urged the EFSA to assess the microbiological, chemical and environmental risks arising from the production and consumption of insects as food and feed, and to include the primary steps from the production chain up to consumption by humans and animals.

A working group of the EFSA scientific panel compiled a report, which looked at potential biological and chemical hazards, allergenicity and environmental hazards.

The report noted: "The specific production methods, the substrate used, the stage of harvest, the insect species, as well as the methods used for further processing will all have an impact on the possible presence of biological and chemical contaminants in insect food and feed products."

With regard to the environmental risk posed by large-scale insect farming, the report added that it was like any other animal production systems.

The report stated: "The adoption of existing waste management strategies should be applicable for managing waste from insect production.

"Assessment of the individual production systems will determine the precise strategy to be adopted on a case by case basis."

The UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has been looking at how ‘edible insects’ could boost food and nutrition security and serve as protein source.

In 2014, Belgian supermarket operator Delhaize introduced mealworms tapenades, but they were not popular.

"We opted not to have any visible insects in the products to lower the initial reluctance but even then we saw that the customer wasn’t ready for it," a Delhaize spokesman was quoted by Reuters as saying.

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Image: According to EFSA report, insects such as houseflies, silkworms, etc., are safe for consumption. Photo by Aravind Sivaraj/commons.wikimedia.org