Tropical house cricket – Image by Kerolainy on Pixabay
(BRUSSELS) – The house cricket received EU authorisation as a novel food Friday, becoming the third insect approved for consumption by European gourmets, following the dried yellow mealworm and migratory locust.
The house cricket (Acheta domesticus) will be available in its entirety, either frozen or dried, and powder.
This authorisation was endorsed by the EU Member States on 8 December 2021, following a stringent assessment by the European Food Safety Agency which concluded that the consumption of this insect is safe under the uses submitted by the applicant company.
Products containing this novel food will be labelled appropriately to flag any potential allergic reactions.
Insects make up a substantial part of the daily diet of hundreds of millions of people around the world. In recent years, the Food and Agriculture Organization found that insects are a nutritious and healthy food source with high fat, protein, vitamin, fibre and mineral content.
In the context of the Farm to Fork Strategy insects are also identified as an alternative protein source that could facilitate the shift towards a more sustainable food system.
