When it comes to food, in Western societies insects don’t necessarily bear the most savory connotations. But in Europe, such perceptions may soon become a thing of the past as the EU’s Food Safety Authority is expected to make insects a common dish choice on restaurant menus.
Within weeks the food safety agency is to endorse whole or ground mealworms, lesser mealworms, locusts, crickets and grasshoppers as being safe for human consumption — in what’s being billed as the long-awaited breakthrough moment in European gastronomy for mealworm burgers, locust aperitifs, and cricket granola.
The ruling is likely to lead to the final authorization of their sale across the EU as a “novel food” by as soon as autumn, opening up opportunities for mass production of a range of insect dishes to be sold across Europe for the first time.
The potential approval could represent a big step forward towards a greater variety of meat substitutes, alongside plant-based alternatives, making it easier for consumers to opt for more sustainable and delicious protein choices.
