Insects crawling on the menu as EU labels yellow mealworms safe to eat

Mealworms have been approved for use in food by the EU

Credit: KAREN BLEIER/AFP/Getty Images

Mealworms are fit for the dinner plate, the European Union’s food safety agency ruled on Wednesday, marking the first time it has approved an insect-based foodstuff.

Experts say that the green light for yellow mealworms, which when dried reportedly taste of peanuts, will be crucial in overcoming the “yuck factor” tied with edible critters.

EU rules introduced in 2018 say that so-called ‘novel foods’ must be approved by Europe’s food safety agency (EFSA) before they can be sold.

Countries like France and Germany still ban them, while others like Belgium and Denmark, as well as the UK, have taken a more relaxed approach.

Sainsbury’s claimed to be the first UK supermarket to start stocking edible insects in 2018, when shoppers were offered smoky BBQ roasted crickets.

Any future ‘novel’ applications will be handled by the UK’s Food Standards Agency.

Diners in countries including Australia and New Zealand already chow down on mealtime options like insect curries and bug burgers, while the EU has decided to take its time authorising them.

Mealworm banana bread

“Insects are complex organisms, which makes characterising the composition of insect-derived food products a challenge. Understanding their microbiology is paramount, considering also that the entire insect is consumed,” said EFSA chemist Ermolaos Ververis.

Insect-based diets could reduce farming’s environmental impact because they require less energy and water, while their high protein content could be a substitute for meat products.

Mr Ververis warned though that “the true protein levels can be overestimated” and that anybody with an allergy to crustaceans or dust mites should steer clear of mealworms, as eating them could trigger a reaction.

Giovanni Sogari, a researcher at the University of Parma, said that time and exposure to edible insects could change consumer attitudes and banish the “yuck factor” associated with bug-based diets, which “many Europeans find repellent”.

EFSA is working on several other applications, including locusts, crickets and beetles.

Once its assessment is endorsed by the European Commission and EU countries, companies will be free to ramp up manufacturing and include mealworms in their products.

It is not the first alternative foodstuff to end up on the plates of EU officials. Last year, MEPs voted against a motion to rename ‘veggie burgers’, which the meat industry had claimed was a misleading title.