Novel foods: House cricket becomes third insect authorized as food ingredient for the EU market

The Commission has authorized the marketing of house crickets (Acheta domesticus) as novel food in the EU. It is the third insect which has been successfully approved for consumption and follows previous authorisations given last July for the dried yellow mealworm, and in November for the migratory locust. The house cricket will be available in its entirety, either frozen or dried, and powder.

This authorisation was endorsed by the 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. In recent years, the Food and Agriculture Organization has found that insects are a nutritious and healthy food source with high fat, protein, vitamin, fibre and mineral content.

Moreover, insects make up a substantial part of the daily diet of hundreds of millions of people around the world. 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. You can find more information in this Q&A.

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