Food made from insects and food safety
Insects have been approved for food use - what foods are insects added to and can I accidentally eat them without my knowledge?
Insects are an alternative source of protein in foods that consumers can choose to eat. However, insects cannot be consumed unknowingly, as they must be mentioned in the list of ingredients of a food, like any other ingredient of a food. In addition, their use is subject to specific conditions, such as the permitted categories of food to which they may be added.
Currently, four different insect species have been found to be safe and approved for food use. These are:
• House cricket (Acheta domesticus),
• Oriental cricket (Locusta migratoria),
• a mealworm (Tenebrio molitor), and
• chicken tuft (Alphitobius diaperionus) larvae.
However, the use of these insects in food is subject to conditions of use, i.e. maximum levels and purity and labelling requirements. Insects shall be clearly identified by their own name in the list of ingredients of the food. They cannot therefore be indicated in the list of ingredients, for example in the form of E-codes intended only for food additives. In addition, a statement that this ingredient may cause allergic reactions to consumers known to be allergic to crustaceans and their products and to dust mites shall appear in the immediate vicinity of the list of ingredients of the food containing these insects.
Read more about insects as food.
How can you tell whether an insect is edible?
The Finnish Food Authority has prepared guidelines for insect production intended for both insect farmers and food control authorities. The guidelines specify how insects should be farmed and prepared in order to be sold or served as food. General food legislation also applies to insects as food.
Are there limitations for serving foods made from insects in for example families with children?
The Finnish Food Authority has not issued any instructions or recommendations for different population groups, such as children for example, on the suitability of foods made from insects. Based on the information available at the moment, the use of cultivated and processed insects as food does not have to be limited. Should there be a need for limitations later, the Finnish Food Authority will update the recommendations for that part.
Can insects cause allergies?
It is possible to be allergic to insect food. Food allergens are proteins. Sensitisation to insect proteins is possible, just like to any other food proteins. The proteins that insects contain are similar to the proteins of e.g. crustaceans and molluscs. Thus persons who are allergic to prawns, for example, may have an allergic reaction from insect food. It is therefore necessary to indicate on the packaging of food containing insects that this ingredient may cause allergic reactions to consumers known to be allergic to crustaceans and their products, as well as to dust mites.
Will the insects produced by insect farmers be checked to ensure consumer safety?
Insect farmers and manufacturers of insect products are responsible for ensuring that the foodstuffs produced and marketed by them are safe for consumers. Insect farmers are controlled in the same way as other food business operators.
Primary production
Which notifications must be submitted by insect farmers?
Operators who raise insects for use as food, i.e., primary producers, need to register as a primary production with the food control authorities of their own municipality already before the start of operation. Producers already engaged in primary production of another production type, such as pig farming or glasshouse growing, need to amend their registration of a primary production to cover also raising of insects for use as food. The amendment can be made by submitting a free-format notification to the municipal food control authorities. The primary producer also needs to register with the Finnish Food Authority as a primary production operator in feed sector. Other authorities (e.g. building control, environmental protection) should also be contacted to find out about any other required permits and/or notifications.
Is it possible to cultivate insects and plants side by side in the same greenhouse?
In principle, it is not possible. It is difficult to organise the operation so that food safety is not endangered. For example dust from feed and straw formed in conjunction with the cultivation of insects will easily spread over plants grown on the same premises. Any pesticides/insect sprays used during the cultivation of the plants are a food safety risk when cultivating insects. The possible escape of insects from the cultivation boxes to the cultivated plants will also cause problems. If the greenhouse is on soil, there will be a risk of other insects on the premises which will easily mix with the cultivated insects. They may also potentially transfer disease to the cultivated insects, or microbes pathogenic to human.
Can insects caught in the wild be cultivated for food?
Yes. But then there has to be absolute certainty of which insect species it is and that this particular species can be used as food. But only the next insect generation which has been cultivated in a breeding establishment from the start can be sold as food.
How can by-products from insect farming be disposed of?
By-products (manure, spontaneously dead insects, parts of insects, eggs, caterpillars and enclosures) may be disposed of by composting or spreading in the field, regardless of the volume of production, provided that they have first been inactivated, e.g. by freezing. However, it should be noted that the operation of this should take place on its own farm. If compost is to be handed over, a notification of the activity must be submitted to the Finnish Food Authority and a permit must be applied for. Further information: https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/en/plants/fertilizers/
Processing of insects into food
Which notifications must be submitted by operators who produce insect foods?
Operators who process/produce insect foods need to register their food establishment operation with the food control authorities of their own municipality before the start of operation. Registered food establishments already in operation wishing to start the processing/production of insect foods are not required to submit a new food establishment notification or notification of an essential change in operation. Insects are considered to be raw materials, like e.g. eggs or milk. All that is needed is to take the use of the new raw material into account in the operator's in-house control plan.
Do food establishments wishing to process/produce insect foods need to apply for status of approved food establishment?
No they do not. The approval requirement for food establishments in the meat and fish sectors for example, does not apply to food establishments handling/preparing insect food. However, operators who process/produce insect foods need to register their food establishment operation with the food control authorities of their own municipality before the start of operation. Registered food establishments already in operation wishing to start the processing/production of insect foods are not required to submit a new food establishment notification or notification of an essential change in operation. Insects are considered to be raw materials, like e.g. eggs or milk. All that is needed is to take the use of the new raw material into account in the operator's in-house control plan.
If a meat sector establishment wishes to use powdered whole insects as raw material for sausages, will this be approved as an essential change in operation?
An approval of the change need not be applied for to use powdered insects as raw material for sausages in a meat sector establishment. Insects are considered to be raw materials, like e.g. eggs or milk. All that is needed is to take the use of the new raw material into account in the operator's in-house control plan.
In what form can insects be used in food? Can we use protein extracted from insects?
Insects and their constituents may be used in food only under the conditions of their use. Insect products authorised for food use and their conditions of use are listed in the Union list of authorised novel foods (EU) 2017/2470.
Import and export
In which EU countries is it permitted to produce and use insects as food?
Insects authorised as novel foods are allowed throughout the EU. According to the decision of the European Court of Justice, even during the transitional period, entire insects should be allowed to be produced and used in all EU countries, unless national legislation prevents this.
Is import of insect foods authorised from other EU states?
The import of insect foods is possible from EU states where insects are included within the scope of food control. Importation is then considered comparable to control of places of first arrivals and guidelines related to such operation can be found here https://www.ruokavirasto.fi/en/themes/import-and-export/eu-countries-norway-and-switzerland/food/
Can insect food be imported to Finland from outside the EU?
Insect food authorised as a novel food may only be imported from countries that are authorised for that purpose in the EU import regulations. For the time being, South Korea, Canada, Switzerland, Thailand, Vietnam and the United Kingdom are allowed to import. However, during the transitional period, imports of insects from the above-mentioned authorised countries covered by pending applications for novel foods will be allowed, i.e. until the respective applications for novel foods have been processed.
Is the exportation of insects to outside EU for use as food allowed?
The exportation of insects for use as food is possible. The requirements in force in the destination country for food imported to the country shall also always be verified prior to exportation. Contact the Finnish Food Authority, if you are planning to start exportation; send your inquiries to vienti@ruokavirasto.fi