After the mealworm, the migratory locust is making its way to the plates of European consumers. The European Commission authorized, on Friday 12 November, the placing on the market as food of Locusta migratoria, second insect thus recognized by the European Union (EU).
It will be available in frozen, dried or powdered version, and will be sold as a snack or ingredient in a number of food products, the European executive said in a statement.
This authorization comes after the green light from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and a positive vote from the member states. The first authorization by the EU of an insect as food – mealworm larvae, also known as “mealworms” – dates back to June.
Rich in fatty acids, proteins, vitamins, fibers and minerals, insects are considered by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations to be very nutritious and healthy foods.
A more sustainable food system
They are consumed every day by millions of people around the world. The EU has identified them, as part of its ‘Farm to Fork’ strategy, as an alternative protein source that can enable a more sustainable food system.
Insects had already been marketed in the EU, as some countries felt that they were not covered by the previous European regulation on “novel foods” requiring a green light to be sold.
But the regulations applied since January 2018 explicitly consider insects as food, subject to the need for a marketing authorization. A third insect, the house cricket, could follow soon.