EU Gives Green Light To Eating Mealworm as food

The European Union food authority said that dried yellow mealworm, the larval stage of the mealworm beetle, is healthy for human consumption in its entire form and as a powder additive.

It was announced on Wednesday by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) that mealworms are healthy for human consumption. It’s a landmark moment for large companies that manufacture foods containing insects. Which has been lobbying the EU to allow the consumption of these items in all European countries.

They are currently sold in the U.K., Dutch, Belgian, Danish, and Finnish supermarkets. since these countries viewed a 1997 law more permissibly than other countries.

“The 1997 law specified that “novel foods” should be allowed as any food that had not been consumed before that year, but countries such as the U.K. The legislation did not apply to animals used for food, so they could market such items.

Mealworm as Human Food

Mealworms provide the same protein, vitamins, and minerals as same as fish or meat. While grasshoppers have the same protein content as lean ground beef but less fat per gram. Insect harvesting typically uses much less land than cow grazing, with lower greenhouse gas emissions.

The opinion of the European Food Safety Authority is a first step before officials. Determine to allow sales of ingredients, snacks, protein bars, cookies, and other foods containing insects.

Those suffering from prawn & dust mite allergies are the only people who may not get along with the new products. The Guardian recorded that they are likely to experience a reaction to the larvae of the Tenebrio Molitor. “whether eaten in powder form as part of a recipe or as a crunchy snack, perhaps dipped in chocolate.”

Mealworm, What can we expect?

The decision is a surprise to the insect-farming sector, which researcher Arcluster predicts will expand tenfold by 2025 to surpass $4.1 billion globally. Thanks to their lower environmental impact and high nutritional value, insects are emerging as a more sustainable source of protein, attracting record venture-capital funding and interest from giants such as Cargill Inc. and Nestle SA.