This is big for the industry…
Correction: Our friend Anders Engstrom of Bug Burger over in Sweden informed us that the article linked to here is not exactly correct. From Anders:
“What happened the first of January 2018 is that a new updated version of the Novelty food act that was decided in 2015 was put in place. The new novel food act makes it clear that insects are novel food and illegal until an application have been sent in and approved. The new rules are supposed to make the application process easier (maybe 1-2 years instead of 2-10 years…). There has to be one application per species.
Countries in the EU who have been allowing insects as food in their countries before 1st January this year (Belgium can continue to sell their products in 2018. If an application is sent in during this year they can also sell that species in 2019. If not it’s illegal for them to.
Making an application is quite expensive and requires a lot of research. It’s today unclear who will make these applications. I have heard there are applications for house cricket, mealworm and lesser mealworm on the way.
Insect-based snacks could soon swarm the European market after new regulations came into force this month – bringing creepy crawly menus one step closer to reality…The updated EU legislation expands the category of foods not widely eaten in Europe before 1997 to include parts of insects, such as wings or legs, as well as whole animals. The legislation streamlines the process of innovative firms entering the market and does away with an unwieldy applicant-specific system…The update also draws up an EU list of novel foods making it easier for products to go straight to shop shelves. Any company which satisfies the conditions and labelling requirements set by European Food Safety Authority can now place an authorized product for sale.
