This week sees two legislative developments linked to EU insect production: the adoption of harmonized standards for insect frass and the addition of silkworm to the list of authorized insect species for use as protein in aquaculture feed.
Why it’s time to embrace edible insects
As an alternative to meat, bugs are winning over everyone from farms to Hollywood celebrities
A grasshopper stir fry by sustainable food brand Eat Grub
Credit: EAT GRUB
Eating insects as a replacement for meat should be no big deal for anyone. After all, research suggests the average individual already eats 140,000 insect pieces each year.
Of course most are trace contaminants in other foodstuffs. However, more than two billion people worldwide enjoy insects as part of their daily diet. Most commonly eaten in Africa, Asia and South America, it is of no surprise that the hunt for protein alternatives to meat has led to rising interest in the insect-eating world.
European Union‘s (EU) food safety watchdog, the
French company EAP Group Agronutris submitted the application for the approval of mealworms in 2018. Despite their name, mealworms are not actually worms – they are the larvae of the mealworm beetle.
Rich in fat and high-quality protein, mealworms offer a sustainable source of food with a lower carbon footprint. However, the bug may not be advisable for consumption among people with seafood and dust mite allergies.
EFSA experts are hopeful that the European Commission will soon approve mealworms as a food product fit for supermarket shelves, kitchen pantries and restaurant menus across the EU. As per EU procedures, the European Commission has seven months after the release of the EFSA’s decision to submit a draft proposal to EU Member States authorizing the sale and consumption of mealworms.
Insect meal producer Protix attracts over US$18m in investment Dutch insect protein producer, Protix, has generated €15.5m (US$18.5m) in a new funding round, with the investment set to support the next leg of its development.
Existing shareholders Aqua-Spark, Rabo Corporate Investments and the Brabrant Development Company (BOM) participated in the latest round, and Dutch investment agency, Invest-NL, advanced €7.5m in capital as a new investor.
“With this funding round, Protix can further optimize production capacity and accelerate its international expansion,” said the company that breeds larvae from the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) and processes them into ingredients like proteins and lipids for use in feed.