Abstract Body

The agri-food sector is constantly evolving, trying to meet the existing socio-economic, health-related, and environmental demands. New dietary choices are being explored, aspiring to provide additional choices to consumers. Recent advances in food science and technology enable new protein sources such as algae, cell culture-derived foods, and insects to emerge in the current food systems.

With regard to insects, certain species have been part of the diet of various populations, however, they remain a dietary novelty for most of the western population, with different regulatory frameworks globally governing the use of insects as food. In the European Union (EU) and other European countries, insects and products thereof are considered novel foods, and their safety assessment is required before potential market authorisation. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), the responsible EU entity for carrying out such assessments, has already concluded, with a positive outcome, the safety evaluation of several insect-derived foods and food ingredients as novel foods.

The products assessed so far derive from yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor larvae), lesser mealworm (Alphitobius diaperinus larvae), migratory locust (Locusta migratoria adults), and house cricket (Acheta domesticus adults), and for most of them market authorization has been already granted. These insect-derived foods comprise mainly whole insects (i.e., whole dried, whole frozen, powder); assessments of insect-derived ingredients such as protein concentrates, protein hydrolysates, and other fractions are ongoing.

Like other novel protein sources, EFSA assesses whether the consumption of insects and products thereof can be associated with health risks arising from the source per se or from the production process. Such assessments are conducted in the framework of a novel food application dossier, submitted by the food business operators who intend to market such products. Hazard identification and characterisation are performed by EFSA, by assessing the respective body of scientific evidence (requirements are described in EFSA’s scientific and technical guidance documents for novel foods). Chemical and microbiological data, nutritional and toxicological information, as well as allergenicity aspects, are among the elements to be investigated. Taking into consideration also the proposed uses and use levels, an exposure assessment follows, to finally characterise any potential risk.

In the respective EFSA outputs, the high relevance of insect feed to the safety of the final products has been stressed since certain insect species can bioaccumulate hazardous compounds from the feed if present. From a nutrition point of view, it has been highlighted that the protein levels of insects can be overestimated when chitin, a component of insects’ exoskeleton, is present in the final product. Furthermore, it has been emphasised that the consumption of such products can potentially induce allergic reactions in humans (sensitisation, cross-reactivity, allergens from the feed).