Looking at Edible Insects from a Food Safety Perspective
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LOOKING AT EDIBLE INSECTS FROM A FOOD SAFETY PERSPECTIVE Challenges and opportunities for the sector FOOD AND AGRICULTURE ORGANIZATION OF THE UNITED NATIONS ROME, 2021 Required citation: FAO. 2021. Looking at edible insects from a food safety perspective. Challenges and opportunities for the sector. Rome. https://doi.org/10.4060/cb4094en The designations employed and the presentation of material in this information product do not imply the expression of any opinion whatsoever on the part of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) concerning the legal or development status of any country, territory, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The mention of specific companies or products of manufacturers, whether or not these have been patented, does not imply that these have been endorsed or recommended by FAO in preference to others of a similar nature that are not mentioned. 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Design and layout: Tomaso Lezzi Page iii CONTENTS Preface . v Acknowledgements . vi Abbreviations and acronyms . ix Executive Summary . xi Introduction . 1 Food safety characterization of insects . 15 Overview of regulatory framework for edible insects . 33 Challenges of the insect sector . 45 The way forward . 55 References . .. 59 Page iv FIGURES 1 . Number of recorded edible insect species per group in the world . 1 2 . Comparison of feed conversion, water, global warming potential, and land needed to produce 1 kg of the live animal . Also shown is the percentage of each animal that is edible . 3 BOXES 1 . Wild-collected insects – sustainable harvesting practices needed to prevent overexploitation . 9 2 . Transferable antimicrobial resistance genes and edible insects . 19 3 . Insect consumption as a pest control measure comes at a risk . 23 4 . Yellow mealworms – first insect approved by EFSA under the European Union Novel Foods Regulation . 35 Page v PREFACE While the subject of edible insects inherently encompasses a vast array of topics, from insect ecology to various rearing practices and processing methods, the primary objective of this publication is to provide an overview of the potential food safety issues associated with the production and consumption of insects . The farming of insects for food and feed is relatively recent and brings with it both benefits and challenges, some of which this publication explores . The regulatory frameworks that govern edible insects in various regions are discussed . In addition, the document highlights some of the other challenges, such as research gaps and scaling up production, that the insect sector will need to overcome if it is to have a more global reach . The intended audiences for this publication are food safety professionals, policymakers, researchers, insect producers, as well as consumers . Page vi ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The research and drafting was carried out by Keya Mukherjee (Food Systems and Food Safety Division, FAO) under the overall guidance of Vittorio Fattori (Food Systems and Food Safety Division, FAO) . Markus Lipp, Christine Kopko and Kang Zhou (all of the Food Systems and Food Safety Division, FAO) provided invaluable inputs . Comments and contributions from FAO colleagues Carmen Bullon (Legal and Ethics Office) and Gracia Brisco (Joint FAO/WHO Centre - Codex Food Standards and Zoonotic Diseases) are gratefully acknowledged . FAO expresses sincere gratitude to the following external reviewers for taking the time to provide their insightful feedback . INDIVIDUAL EXPERTS Arnold van Huis, Emeritus Professor, Laboratory of Entomology, Wageningen University, Netherlands Giulia Poma, Research Manager, Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Antwerp, Belgium Josephine Antwi, Assistant Professor, Biological Sciences, University of Mary Washington, United States of America Patrick Durst, former Senior Forestry Officer, FAO Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific Page vii INTERNATIONAL ORGANIZATIONS Asian Food and Feed Insect Association (AFFIA) – Anne Deguerry and Nathan Preteseille European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) – Michele Ardizzone, Domenico Azzollini, Tilemachos Goumperis, Angelo Maggiore and Ermolaos Ververis United States of America Food and Drug Administration (FDA) – Anthony Adeuya, Richard Bonnette, Daria Kleinmeier, Charlotte Liang, Stefano Luccioli, Amy Miller, Quynh-Anh Nguyen, Monica Pava-Ripoll, Emily Pettengill, Lauren (Posnick) Robin, Girdhari Sharma, Eric Stevens, Andrew Yeung and Chelsea Durgan Insect Protein Association of Australia (IPAA) – Olympia Yarger International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed (IPIFF) – Christophe Derrien and Constantin Muraru Finally, thanks go out to Jeannie Marshall for editing, Tomaso Lezzi for design and layout of the publication, and to Mia Rowan for her help in refining the document . Cookies (above) made from cricket flour (below) . ©CamRosPhotography/Shutterstock Page ix ABBREVIATIONS AND ACRONYMS ACFS Agricultural Commodity and Food Standards ACNF Advisory Committee on Novel Foods AMR antimicrobial resistance CFIA Canadian Food inspection Agency EC European Commission EFSA European Food Safety Authority FAO Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations FDA Food and Drug Administration (USA) FD&C Act Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (USA) FSANZ Food Standards Australia New Zealand GHG greenhouse gas GRAS Generally Recognized As Safe HBCD hexabromocyclododecane IPIFF International Platform of Insects for Food and Feed KEBS Kenya Bureau of Standards LCA life cycle assessment LOQ limit of quantification MOH mineral oil hydrocarbons OECD Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development PAH polyaromatic hydrocarbons PBDE polybrominated diphenyl ether PCB polychlorinated biphenyls PCDD polychlorinated dibenzodioxins PCDF polychlorinated dibenzofurans PDCAAS protein digestibility-corrected amino acid score PMTDI provisional maximum tolerable daily intake SDG Sustainable Development Goals WHO World Health Organization ©CamRosPhotography/Shutterstock Belelang goreng or fried grasshoppers from Indonesia . ©Faiz Dila/Shutterstock ©Faiz Dila/Shutterstock Hormigas culonas (Atta laevigata) is a popular delicacy in Colombia . ©Fotos593/Shutterstock ©Fotos593/Shutterstock Page xi EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The release of the pioneering FAO publication, Edible insects. Future prospects for food and feed security in 2013 spurred considerable interest in insect farming . While insects have been part of the normal diets of many cultures in various regions through the centuries, the practice is not widespread in the Western world . However, with growing concerns about the environmental effects of food production, ©Faiz Dila/Shutterstock ©Faiz Dila/Shutterstock sustainable agriculture is garnering increasing support within our food systems . This has led to an increased interest in using insects as an additional source of nutrition in human food and animal feed, propelling research activities as well as business opportunities worldwide . Until recently