Animal protein from insects under assessment by the EU

New protein source

The EU Animal By-Products Regulation 1069/2009 includes aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates otherthan species pathogenic to humans or animals in the list of safe category 3 animal proteins permitted in pet food. This includes crabs, lobsters, snails, clams and octopuses, of course. But it also includes insects in all their life stages (egg, larva, pupa and adult), which is a bit less appealing, at least for most cultures. 

However, insects are becoming increasingly accepted as a new protein source. The sustainability argument most probably plays a major role in this. When processed into insect meal, the animals are no longer recognisable to the consumer and the resulting product is nutritious – they have a protein content between 40 and 75% depending on the species and what they were fed.

Legal status 

Insect meals are not widely used in pet food. Use in human food is a legal grey area and feeding such meals to farmed animals is prohibited by EU legislation (apart from feeding to fur animals). This is due to BSE legislation, which, with a few exceptions, does not permit processed animal protein (meals) in farm feed. Nevertheless, discussions on insects as valuable protein are becoming more frequent. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has published a first opinion on insect safety  and more will follow; there is a Brussels-based trade association representing the interests of the insect sector ; and an internal European Commission Strategic Safety Concept for Insects as Feed is outlining the legal status and possible use. 

Safety criteria

So things are on the move to further regulate the use of insects as feed or food in the EU. This is a good thing for both the pet food industry and the human food chain. However, safety is of paramount importance. The work at EU level, in particular EFSA safety assessments, will provide reassurance to users and consumers. Today, pathogenic species (e.g. screwworms), invasive species (in the EU, only the Asian predatory wasp is listed as an invasive insect) or insects that have adverse effects on plant, animal or human health may not be used. In the EU, a number of insects have already been scrutinised against these safety criteria, and are being used. Legislation is expected to be adopted relatively soon to allow a list of selected insects for the production of insect meals:

Mealworm (Tenebrio Molitor), Black Soldier Fly (Hermetia Illucens), Lesser Mealworm (alphitobius diaperinus), House Cricket (Acheta domesticus), Banded Crickets (Gryllodes sigillatus) and Field Crickets (Gryllus Assimilis). Depending on consumer acceptance (or the ‘yuck factor’), the EU safety assessments might lead to a more widespread use of a sustainable and valuable protein source.