The following insects are currently authorised as novel foods in the EU:

• Acheta domesticus (house cricket), frozen, dried and powdered and partially defatted powder of Acheta domesticus (house cricket)
• Locusta migratoria (migratory grasshopper), frozen, dried and powdered
• Frozen, dried, powdered and UV-treated mealworms (larvae of Tenebrio molitor)
• Larvae of Alphitobius diaperinus (grain mould beetle), frozen, as paste, dried and in powder form

Foodstuffs containing insects must be specially labelled, e.g. "UV-treated larval powder of Tenebrio molitor (mealworm)". There must also be a warning that this ingredient can trigger allergic reactions in consumers who are known to be allergic to crustaceans and molluscs and products made from them, as well as house dust mites. This information must be displayed in the immediate vicinity of the list of ingredients.

As the breeding of insects is very complex, farmed insects are not cheap ingredients and are currently probably niche products. It can be assumed that foods with farmed insects as an ingredient will only be bought by people who really want to consume them. Therefore, fears that insects will simply be added to food and thus end up with customers who do not want to eat them are understandable, but in our view unfounded due to the aforementioned cost factor on the one hand, but also due to the mandatory labelling and the associated transparency for customers.

You can find detailed information on our page Insects in food