24. EU will force us to eat insects. Fake or not?
The EU imposes the use of cricket flour, which can even kill some consumers, according to fake news circulated in Romania, Serbia and many other countries around Europe, with some viral tweets. The narrative is that the EU will force its citizens to eat insects. In a 2013 study, the UN Food and Agriculture Organization stated that insects can be an alternative source of protein and that insect farms are more environmentally friendly than those that raise animals. It didn’t take long, and voices were heard claiming that the said study and the intention of the European Commission to approve the marketing of insect-based foods in the community space, would be just a new stage in the evil plan of the world occult, to poison and reduce the population of the planet.
The theory obviously did not bypass online conspiracy theorists; it was taken up and amplified by various public figures, from politicians and journalists to influencers who know everything. So, with each new regulation of the European Commission in the food field, the topic of “food reset” and New Age diets is taken up and aggressively disseminated on conservative propaganda channels and tabloids. It was massively taken by the most popular tabloids in Serbia, mostly those who are nourishing euro-skepticism.
HOW CAN WE VERIFY THIS?
The commercialization as food of the House Cricket (Acheta domesticus) was approved by the European Commission as early as February 10, 2022, following the approval, on November 12, 2021, of the commercialization of the Locust (Locusta migratoria) and, on February 8, 2022, of the Yellow Mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), all in frozen, dried and powdered form. The use of insects as an alternative source of protein is not new, and insects are eaten regularly in many parts of the world. A recent study made a synthesis and showed that around 2,000 species of insects are eaten in more than 100 countries around the world. Edible insects, and especially crickets, are part of the traditional diet of several countries in Asia, such as China, Japan, Taiwan, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Vietnam, Thailand, but also in Equatorial Africa and even Mexico. Their consumption takes place in various forms and on various occasions. Their preparation usually includes frying or steaming for consumption as a main course or snack.
The home cricket is appreciated for its taste, aroma and texture. Also, the amount of nutrients, especially proteins, that these insects contain is considerable, a fact established by a series of studies and laboratory analyzes carried out over the past 20 years. They show that, for example, cricket flour contains between 50-70% proteins and essential amino acids and the fat content reaches 20%. Crickets are also a source of minerals such as copper, selenium, magnesium, zinc and vitamins. Without implying an exclusively insect-based diet, and by no means mandatory, increasing the share of insects in humanity’s staple diet could help feed an ever-growing population.
Through its January 3rd, 2023, decision, the European Commission does nothing more than approve the commercialization in the EU of insect-based products by a Vietnamese producer, whose file was analyzed and confronted with the results of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) over a period of 4 years (2018 – 2022). Moreover, EFSA, in a scientific opinion published as early as 2015, stated that the use of insects as a source of food and fodder has important environmental and economic benefits and does not pose major food security threats. Insect farms can result in lower greenhouse gas and ammonia emissions than cattle or pig farms and greater efficiency in converting feed to protein, the report also found.
At the same time, EFSA concluded that as long as insects are fed with currently permitted feed, the chances of allergic reactions or toxic effects are similar to other currently sources of protein that are currently used. The cricket, being an arthropod, has many proteins similar to those of other insects, dust mites and crustaceans, as well as those of mollusks. That is why the European Commission has imposed the rule of labeling food products containing partially defatted powder of Acheta domesticus (house cricket) properly, in accordance with the European regulations. The approval given by the European executive only concerns farmed crickets, not the wild ones, the risks of toxic contamination being in this case similar to the consumption of edible mushrooms from licensed farms versus those picked in the forest.
In conclusion, the consumption of insects, regardless of the form and method of cooking, remains a choice, the European Commission underlining this as clearly as possible in an official response sent to the PressOne publication in August 2022: “The European Commission will not force citizens to eat insects (or anything else). The consumption of insects is possible, never mandatory, as long as they are authorized as novel foods by the Commission”. As an example, the Belgian supermarket operator Delhaize introduced a dish based on mealworms in its stores in Belgium in 2014, but it was not successful, and had to quickly withdraw the product from the shelves.
WHAT ARE OTHER SOURCES SAYING?
DW and many other credible news outlets report on this topic here and here
A question to the European Parliament has been publicly posted on the Commission website
FAKE OR NOT?
Nobody will force us to eat insects. A European Commission spokesperson confirmed this via email to Euronews saying: “Mandatory food information must be available for both pre-packed and non-prepacked foods. The indication of allergens is mandatory and must be provided to consumers where foods are offered for sale pre-packed or without pre-packaging.”
