European Union‘s (EU) food safety watchdog, the
French company EAP Group Agronutris submitted the application for the approval of mealworms in 2018. Despite their name, mealworms are not actually worms – they are the larvae of the mealworm beetle.
Rich in fat and high-quality protein, mealworms offer a sustainable source of food with a lower carbon footprint. However, the bug may not be advisable for consumption among people with seafood and dust mite allergies.
EFSA experts are hopeful that the European Commission will soon approve mealworms as a food product fit for supermarket shelves, kitchen pantries and restaurant menus across the EU. As per EU procedures, the European Commission has seven months after the release of the EFSA’s decision to submit a draft proposal to EU Member States authorizing the sale and consumption of mealworms.
Insect meal producer Protix attracts over US$18m in investment Dutch insect protein producer, Protix, has generated €15.5m (US$18.5m) in a new funding round, with the investment set to support the next leg of its development.
Existing shareholders Aqua-Spark, Rabo Corporate Investments and the Brabrant Development Company (BOM) participated in the latest round, and Dutch investment agency, Invest-NL, advanced €7.5m in capital as a new investor.
“With this funding round, Protix can further optimize production capacity and accelerate its international expansion,” said the company that breeds larvae from the Black Soldier Fly (BSF) and processes them into ingredients like proteins and lipids for use in feed.
EFSA says mealworms safe for human consumption: ‘An important milestone towards commercialisation’ The European Food Safety Authority has published its first scientific opinion on an insect-derived food. The conclusion? Mealworms are safe for human consumption.
EFSA’s latest batch of scientific opinions on novel food applications includes a significant first – a safety assessment of a proposed insect-derived food product: dried yellow mealworm.
The safety authority’s opinion was coordinated by Ermolaos Ververis, a chemist and food scientist at EFSA.
“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,” he explained.
If eating insects as an alternative food protein source is on your agenda then good news is afoot as mealworms have been authorised for human consumption.
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