Novel food regulations remain a barrier for scaling edible insects
Image credit: Yum Bug
Edible insects could be a key to a more sustainable food system; yet novel
food regulations could be restricting alternative environmentally friendly
sources of protein for consumers, according to a new report.
The
report
from the UK Edible Insect Association (UKEIA),
produced with support from the University of Sheffield’s Institute for
Sustainable Food (ISF), aims
to help the Food Standards Agency (FSA) review UK novel food
regulations — but the insights could be applied globally.
Towards effective and sustainable regulation of edible insects in the UK
shows that current regulations impose an extremely high barrier to entry for
edible-insect companies, potentially restricting the sector’s potential to
contribute to a more sustainable food system.
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With an increased focus on finding solutions to tackle climate change, insects
can provide an alternative and environmentally sustainable source of protein
relative to other sources such as conventional meat — which are widely
considered to be unsustainable. Startup
innovators
and global
companies
alike around the world have been exploring insects’ nutritional and
environmental benefits and their potential as a replacement for livestock as a
primary protein source — thanks to the amount of food that they can produce
relative to their resource use (ex: It takes 100 gallons of water to produce 6
grams of beef protein, 18 grams of chicken protein or 238 grams of insect
protein), as well as their high amino acid and micronutrient content.
A growing number of insect species have been extensively researched for their
potential for human consumption. The new report found that following strict
farming and production practices will result in edible-insect food ingredients
with no more risks than those of commonly eaten foods such as chicken, pork or
shellfish. The report argues that effective and science-led standards developed with the
sector and a licensing requirement for farmers will provide thorough protection
for consumers.
“Feeding a growing population is a major challenge; so — as well as reducing
meat consumption and promoting a higher intake of fruits, vegetables and pulses
— other innovative approaches that work to increase the consumption of
alternative sources of protein, such as insects, are also needed,” says
Professor Peter
Jackson, Co-Director of
the ISF. “This independent review of the evidence surrounding the safety of
insect consumption comes at a crucial time when the UK’s exit from the EU
presents a unique opportunity to review the current legislation on novel foods
and to propose some alternatives that are consistent with the scientific
evidence and proportionate to the foreseeable risks.”
Until recently, the UK has followed European legislation on novel foods such as
insects, with the FSA following the rules set by the European Food Safety
Authority. Brexit
has provided an opportunity to change the legal requirements in ways that are
more proportionate to the known risks of eating insects — several of which were
examined in the 2021 FAO report, Looking at Edible Insects from a Food Safety
Perspective:
-
Wild vs farmed insects — Food-safety risks can be higher when insects
are harvested from the wild and consumed raw. But farming insects under
controlled, hygienic conditions with sanitary processing techniques should
reduce hazards such as microbiological contamination.
-
The quality and safety of feed and substrates used for rearing insects —
As the nutrient content and food-safety aspects of reared insects depend on
the substrate, further studies and monitoring will be needed to determine
the quality and safety of such side streams as well as the insects that are
produced.
-
Shellfish allergies? — Insects and crustaceans (shrimp, prawns, etc)
belong to the arthropod family; so, potential allergenic risks associated
with consuming edible insects need further investigation.
The UKEIA report contends that the risks associated with the most extensively
farmed insects (crickets, mealworms and grasshoppers) are comparable to other
livestock-production sectors and that proper management informed by on-going
research is the route to enabling the growth of this potentially highly
important new source of nutrition, rather than requiring onerous and costly
laboratory studies.
“Food-safety authorities are worried about the introduction of any novel food
due to their potential health impacts; but there is evidence that any similar
risks of production to more commonly eaten foods such as chicken, pork, or
shellfish can be mitigated by good production methods,” says the ISF’s Dr
Mike
Foden.
“Insect-based foods … are not a familiar part of European diets; but they can be
consumed in processed forms such as burgers, nuggets, or mince — which are more
familiar to European consumers.”
Other identified potential risks and challenges associated with insect farming
in the UK include achieving the temperature and humidity conditions optimal for
rapid growth while either powering it from renewable sources or minimizing
demand for grid electricity; and current costs of the product tend to be higher
than imports from Southeast Asia, requiring a strong focus on quality and
scale to achieve parity.
Foden pointed out that there’s also still often a "yuck
factor”
for us Westerners at the idea of consuming insects; but this tends to be
exaggerated when compared to familiarity, availability, cost and taste — which
are factors that apply to any new food product.
The UK has the potential to build a substantial hub of insect farmers and food
product innovators but will require a significant change in the regulation of
the sector. So, the UKEIA is campaigning to adjust the legislation on insects;
the report aims to show how the safety of insect-based foods can be ensured so
they can potentially become part of UK diets, as they have in other parts of the
world.
Aaron Thomas, Chair of the
UKEIA Board and co-founder of Yum Bug — a
London-based startup that has developed a range of cricket-based ingredients
(including mince and strips) that it showcased in a Shoreditch pop-up
restaurant
last fall — says: “I believe that insects have a critical role to play in
creating a sustainable, future food system. The novel food regulations in the UK
have provided a substantial challenge to our sector's innovation and growth,
which we feel is disproportionate to the risks to consumers.
“Yum Bug has successfully introduced tens to hundreds of thousands of consumers
to edible insects and we have absolutely no reason to think any have come to
harm. We strongly endorse the suggestions for a more balanced approach to
protecting consumers and offering more sustainable food options.”
Mycelium's role in a healthier food system
Image credit: Meati
Meanwhile, another new study explores the many reasons why mycelia could
offer a viable solution to some of the many issues caused by our broken food
system — including world hunger, malnutrition and undernutrition.
Published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, the
study — authored by
researchers from University of California Davis and the University of
Tennessee; along with Harold H.
Schmitz, Chair of the
Scientific Board for Meati
Foods,
and Meati Senior Advisor Behroze
Mistry — explains the enormous
diversity in the fungal kingdom: Metabarcoding data suggests there are as many
as 1.7−13.2 million species. And despite already playing a major
role in
traditional food culture and society via foods including
cheeses,
soy sauce and the
mushrooms themselves — not to mention many of our favorite alcoholic beverages —
fungi remain one of the largest and least explored biodiverse resources on the
planet.
But as the many shortcomings of our current food system continue to reveal
themselves and experts explore more sustainable foods and systems, there has
been a spike in scientific and commercial interest in the use of fungal
mycelia as a food source — especially for species that have a good safety
profile and can be utilized as an easily cultivated, rapid-growth source of
high-quality protein and desirable nutritional value. Mycoprotein is becoming a
major presence in the alternative-protein
market,
as brands such as Quorn and
Meati
and a growing number of enterprising startups bring their mycelium-based
meat
and seafood
alternatives
to consumers seeking healthier, planet-friendlier food
options.
In addition to the environmental benefits, including a dramatically lower carbon
footprint when compared to conventionally raised, animal-sourced foods (ASFs),
the report highlights the many nutritional and health benefits of mycofoods —
including the potentially game-changing benefits of mycelial extracts on the
immune system, and in treating cancer and cirrhosis.
On the nutrition front, commercialized species such as Fusarium venenatum
and Neurospora crassa are low in fat and provide quality protein and
essential micronutrients similar to those in meat, as well as being a good
source of fiber and all necessary amino acids. Current modeling also suggests
that replacing ASFs with mycofoods would mitigate much of conventional protein
production’s environmental impacts: Environmental inputs (feed, water, land use)
aside, accounting for all outputs of conventional, ASF production — including
feed production, manure storage/spreading, enteric
methane,
and processing and packaging of the finished product — carbon footprint
estimates of mycofoods were 10 and 4 times less compared to beef or chicken,
respectively.
While initial studies on the anabolic effects of mycelium are promising, the
study acknowledges the need for additional data on the ability of mycelium
protein intake to support human growth. Future considerations also include
adapting production of mycofoods to utilize local resources and creating
educational programs that demonstrate how these ingredients can fit with current
cultural practices and meet consumer taste preferences. The ultra-processed
nature of many current plant-based meat substitutes — including the addition of
sodium, sugar, saturated fat and additives to enhance flavor, texture and color
— is a concern for both health professionals and consumers; but the filamentous
nature and nutrient density of certain types of mycelium, coupled with the
potential for innovations in fungi flavor, can enable very ‘meat-like’ product
development that requires fewer additives for flavor and texture.
But, along with mycelia’s promise, the researchers acknowledge that hunger and
food insecurity are the result of the inextricable link between social
inequality and access to healthy food
options;
so, the potential benefits that mycofoods present to human and planetary health
can only be realized if the availability of sustainably produced, nutritionally
sound, cost-competitive mycofoods scale to the point where they’re universally
accessible.
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Sustainable Brands Staff
Published Jan 11, 2024 2pm EST / 11am PST / 7pm GMT / 8pm CET