A Tasty Bite of Grasshopper

Ever tried a grasshopper burger? While most Europeans would probably shake their heads in astonishment or disgust at this question, insects end up on the plates of around two billion people worldwide, according to estimates by the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). [1] Whether as staple food or delicacy, cricket sandwiches or mealworm bars will guarantee you a high-protein diet. That’s because insects are a high-quality food source, full of fat and protein and with plenty of micronutrients such as vitamins and trace minerals. [2] A comparison of nutritional values between insects and meat shows that the fat and protein content of many insect species such as mealworms matches – or even exceeds – that of beef or pork. Read more about the nutritional value of insects here.

Climate-friendly and resource-saving

Other arguments in favour of the six-leggers: their breeding and their subsequent processing into food consumes fewer resources than conventional livestock farming and therefore spares the climate. This is an important advantage, which, in view of progressing climate change, could become even more important in the future. According to the FAO, 14.5 per cent of greenhouse gas emissions are caused by livestock, with the majority stemming from cows used for milk and meat production. [3]

Meat production endangers the climate not only through CO₂ emissions. The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Special Report [4] 2019 states that the increasing use of land and the clearing of forests for the cultivation of fodder, as well as the high water consumption involved, are causing additional burdens for the environment. The little creepy-crawlies also score points when it comes to the amount of feed they require: compared to cattle, insects get by with ten times less. Eighty per cent of the insect is processed – with beef it’s often no more than 40 per cent. [5]

According to the IPPC report, since the 1960s, global meat production has more than doubled per person. Therefore, it’s high time we considered other options. However, consumers in western countries in particular struggle with accepting insects as food. The disgust we feel towards eating insects is anchored deeply in our collective cultural mind. A survey [6] by the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) came to the conclusion that only 14 per cent of consumers in Germany have ever tried eating insects, while 40 per cent of those surveyed could imagine themselves eating insects on a regular basis. [7] A further result was that almost half (46 per cent) identified feelings of disgust as the main barrier to insects’ being established as a foodstuff.

This food that some people in Europe find disgusting is regarded as completely normal in many parts of the world. There are more than 2,100 edible insect species to choose from – ranging from beetles to grasshoppers and cockroaches. [8]

Novel Food Regulation governs the authorisation process

At least since the European Union added insects as a potential food to the Novel Food Regulation in 2018, this unusual food source has been attracting more and more attention in Europe too. The regulation governs the authorisation of so-called “novel foods” in the European Union.

The Novel Food Regulation stipulates, among other things, that any insect species intended for human consumption must be assessed as harmless to health and authorised by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) prior to being marketed. Several applications for authorisation have been filed – for example for the mealworm or the house cricket (all current novel food applications are listed here). No insect species has yet been approved for consumption throughout the EU. Nevertheless, foods made from insects are already on sale in some countries – for example, in Dutch supermarkets since 2015 and in Germany since 2018. [9] These products are subject to a temporary regulation. [10]

Switzerland as a role model for the EU

In 2017, Switzerland became the first country on the European continent to approve the sale of insects as human food. Since then, three species have been available on the Swiss market: mealworm, crickets and the European migratory locust – processed for example into worm meal, insect burgers or grasshopper steaks. [11] These new protein bombs have also been approved in Belgium. In some German supermarkets and restaurants, they’re available in processed form – as insect noodles or powder snack ingredients. [12] The edible insects usually come from professional breeding farms in the Netherlands and France.

Dr Mark Lohmann from the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR) predicts that mealworms and other insect species will continue to be sold mainly in processed form on the German market. On Deutschlandfunk radio, the head of the specialist group for the research, perception, early detection and impact assessment of risks said: “But if insects are presented to us in a processed form – that is, if we no longer recognise their feelers and legs – then our feelings of disgust decrease and our acceptance will certainly increase.” [13]

Consumption without risks?

But it remains open whether insects will actually become established as human food in Western countries. A few questions still need to be answered. For example, the question of the risks that might be connected with the consumption of insects. For example, how can the risk of infection from germs in the gastrointestinal tracts of the animals be reduced? Or what allergies might their consumption trigger? Read more about the risks here.

And, last but not least, another question awaiting an answer is how this new food source for Europeans can be used in the long term in a way that is as resource-friendly and eco-friendly as possible. Because insect populations aren’t inexhaustible either. Climate change, wild harvesting, overfishing, pollution and forest fires are putting insect populations at risk. [14]

New solutions are needed for breeding, processing and producing insects sustainably. Insects are already on the rise in Europe as protein suppliers for animal feed. In Bergen op Zoom in the Netherlands, one of the most modern insect farms in Europe started operating in 2018: the farm uses vegetable food residues as food for insects, which are then processed into animal feed. [15] It remains to be seen whether the creepy-crawlies will also end up on a large proportion of European plates in the future.

Here you can see an example of how to breed insects at home:

Sources and literature

[1] http://www.fao.org/3/i3264g/i3264g.pdf
[2] https://www.dfg.de/download/pdf/dfg_im_profil/gremien/senat/lebensmittel/artikel_nahrungsmittel_insekten.pdf
[3] http://www.fao.org/news/story/en/item/197623/icode/
[4] https://www.ipcc.ch/reports/
[5] https://www.geo.de/natur/nachhaltigkeit/17064-rtkl-neue-proteinquelle-der-schweiz-gibt-es-nun-burger-aus-insekten
[6] https://mobil.bfr.bund.de/cm/350/insekten-als-lebens-und-futtermittel.pdf
[7] Basis: Percentage of all respondents who have never eaten insects, n=861, https://mobil.bfr.bund.de/cm/350/insekten-als-lebens-und-futtermittel.pdf
[8] https://www.bund.net/fileadmin/user_upload_bund/publikationen/massentierhaltung/massentierhaltung_fleischatlas_2018.pdf
[9] https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/insekten-als-lebensmittel-im-landeanflug-auf-den-eu-markt.676.de.html?dram:article_id=414740 https://www.deutschlandfunkkultur.de/grillen-und-wuermer-als-lebensmittel-insekten-burger-aus.976.de.html?dram:article_id=425424
[10] [https://www.lebensmittelverband.de/de/aktuell/20190313-insekten-lebensmittel-eu-zulassung-zugelassen-oder-nicht-interview
[11] [https://www.geo.de/natur/nachhaltigkeit/17064-rtkl-neue-proteinquelle-der-schweiz-gibt-es-nun-burger-aus-insekten
[12] https://www.lebensmittelverband.de/de/aktuell/20190313-insekten-lebensmittel-eu-zulassung-zugelassen-oder-nicht-interview
[13] https://www.deutschlandfunk.de/insekten-als-lebensmittel-im-landeanflug-auf-den-eu-markt.676.de.html?dram:article_id=414740
[14] http://www.fao.org/3/i3253e/i3253e.pdf
[15] [https://www.welt.de/newsticker/dpa_nt/infoline_nt/wirtschaft_nt/article195049379/Niederlande-erwarten-Boom-bei-Insekten-Produktion.html