Review: European Union legislation and regulatory framework for edible insect production – Safety issues
Nathan Meijer, Rosa Amalia Safitri, W. Tao, E.F. Hoek–van den Hil
Abstract
• A comprehensive overview of EU legislation for insects for food and feed is presented. • Insects as novel foods require premarket authorisation to ensure safety. • Insects can be fed to other livestock alive, or as processed protein or fat. • Current feeds for insects are largely limited to vegetable-based materials. • Legal limits apply, but insect-specific circumstances are not yet considered. Farmed insects are increasingly used as a more sustainable and circular alternative protein source for food and feed. As a new type of livestock animal in the European Union ( EU ), farmed insects are subject to general legislation applicable to all food and feed production, as well as certain provisions that are more specific. Presented here is a comprehensive overview on legislation for farmed insects in the EU, as related to food and feed safety aspects. The currently applicable legislation is described, and placed in the context of historical developments and academic literature, and suitability and limitations of these laws from different perspectives are reflected upon. Specific topics that are discussed relate to: insects as feed (live, as processed animal proteins, and fat and derived products); insects as a ‘novel food’; feed materials provided to insects (substrate); applications for insect excrement (frass), and; compliance and legal limits. The latter section includes a discussion of ethical and welfare requirements for farmed insects. Finally, a conclusion and future outlook are provided. Legal changes to lift barriers for the insect farming chain should be assessed in light of both safety and circularity demands. It is further recommended that policymakers consider defining insect-specific limits for a variety of hazards, both for substrate and insect biomass for food/feed. This should take into account scientific evidence on unavoidable carry-over from substrates as well as potential adverse effects on insect welfare.