EU clears way for the sale of edible insect products

The EU has approved dried yellow mealworm to be sold as a ‘novel food’ throughout Europe, and the action is being described as the first Europe-wide approval of insects for human consumption. The authorisation by the European commission’s standing committee on plants, animals, food and feed earlier this week allows larvae of the beetle Tenebrio molitor to be used as a whole, dried insect in the form of snacks or as a food ingredient. French insect farming company Agronutris, which submitted the novel food application in 2018, is now the first company officially authorised to sell insects for food in Europe.