Legal status of edible insects in Western countries Entomophagy is a new phenomenon in the West. This means that customs, food agencies and legislators are trying to catch up with this new trend, but in some cases there is still a lot of regulatory uncertainty. In brief, USA, Canada, New Zealand and Australia do not consider edible insects a novel food and they accept import and sales. The European Union introduced a new novel food law in 2018, outlining the approval process for insects as food. The process is lengthy and complicated. As of february 2023, only a few manufacturers, insects and food category have been approved for human consumption More are on the way. After Brexit, UK has opted for a new approval process, therefore it may takes months or a few years before edible insects becomes legal. In Asian, African and South American countries insects are often a traditional food, but this does not mean there are laws or custom recognition for edible insects. In these areas, customs and the FDA had never found themselves facing packaged products containing insects, as insects were usually found in local markets, as street food. Below you may find more information on the legal status of insects in some countries, in terms of breeding, production, marketing, and import/export rules. At the international level, the international guideline for food safety are listed in the Codex Alimentarius, and insects are not even mentioned in it. It may takes years before the international committee (representing the nations members of the Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations) will start the process leading to the inclusion of insects as food in the Codex. Customs also often have difficulty in finding reference points. Harmonised system codes decided internationally by the World Customs Organisation for the nomenclature of goods do not contain any definition that refers to insects as food. The creation of new codes can be requested by any member state, but the process may take years as well. Canada Crickets are not considered as a novel food, and today the largest breeder in North America is located in Canada and serves some local start-ups, including One Hop Kitchen. If, however, an insect lacks a history of safe consumption, it might fall back into the novel food category pending an evaluation by the Bureau of Microbial Hazards in the Food Directorate. USA There is no specific set of standards for edible insects in USA. The FDA has made public its opinion, which is the current legal basis for the market. To be allowed for market, the insects must have been bred for human consumption. Products containing insects must of course follow the standards required by the FDA including bacteriological tests and good manufacturing practice certification. The label on the product must include the common name and the insect’s scientific name, and note the potential risks of allergy. Import from other countries is allowed, and the US FDA has already updated its Import Prior Notice with a list of edible insects products. Australia and New Zealand Both nations share an agency for the maintenance of food safety, Fsanz. This agency has addressed some cases like the super mealworm (Zophobas morio ), the domestic cricket (Acheta domesticus ) and the moth (Tenebrio molitor ), deciding that they are not novel foods, even though they cannot be considered traditional foods either. In particular, they have yet to encounter food safety problems and consequently have not been put to the consumption limits or import. European Union In 2015, the European Parliament decided that insects fall into the “novel foods” category, and consequently are subject to lengthy approval processes. All the details of what is happening in the EU with insect regulations are here. Some Eu countries did not accept to consider insects a novel food and they allow – and in some case, regulate – insect trading and retail. These are Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark, Finland, and their position is described below. Sweden joined them following a EU Court of Justice sentence on whole insects. Belgium The Federal Agency for the Safety of the Food Chain has produced a specific regulation for edible insects which made Belgium one of the most advanced nations in terms of entomophagy, although no insects bred outside of the European Union are accepted. They updated their regulation in 2018 according to the EU transitional period and they are expected to stick to the EU rules from 2019 (http://www.afsca.be/foodstuffs/insects/) Netherlands The Netherlands is home to some mealworm and cricket farms designed to breed for for human consumption. These include Protifarm and Protix, as well as some start-ups active in the marketing and production of edible insects. Its legal basis is not clear, though, and the public body responsible for food safety (NVWA) has refused to comment. Denmark The Danish Veterinary and Food Administration believes that whole insects (including flour, if coming from whole insects) do not fall under the EU novel food legislation. As a result, imports from non-EU countries is possible for those insects falling under the transitional period (mealworm and house crickets, for example). Denmark is jumping ahead with edible insect intitiatives. Finland Finland has followed the danish example in 2017, releasing rules for import and sales of edible insects. Germany The control of food in Germany is a task for the 16 federal states and each of them may take different decisions on edible insects. Since 2018, products have appeared on the market, a sign that some level of legal acceptance have been granted. Norway Norway is not an EU member, but belongs to the European Economic Area and therefore follows a number of European regulations. Still, their interpretation of edible insects is that when they are whole (as opposed to parts or isolates of insects), they do not fall under the novel food law. Import would be accepted if custom is cleared in an EU country. This is the position of the Norwegian food agency. Britain Brexit have generated a regulatory mess and it is unclear if edible insects are legal now (according to most interpretations, they are not). Details in this official document. Switzerland In December 2016, the council passed an edible insect law (which took take effect May 1, 2017) allowing the sale and consumption of three species: crickets (Acheta domesticus), migratory locust and mealworm. Among the requirements, the insects must have been bred for human consumption and after slaughter must be treated according to the criteria of food security (high temperatures, freezing, etc.). The rules released by the food agency (OSAV) are very strict and complex. In the case of import from non EU countries, they requires the insect to be whole, shipped only by plane to Zurich or Geneva, and accompanied by an incredibly long list of lab test and certificates. Examples of Asian countries Southeast Asian countries have a tradition of entomophagy, but do not have regulations relating to the breeding, sale and export of insects. Thailand, the world’s largest breeder of crickets, has released the guidelines for cricket farming (GAP – Good Agricultural Practice) in 2017. An English version of the Thai GAP standard is available here. Even in China, insects are a common culinary ingredient in many regions, but there are still no mentions of this in food law. An exception, though, is silkworm pupae, which was included in 2014 in the list of foods allowed by the Ministry of Health. China is the world’s largest producer of silk (500.000 tons of silkworm pupae per year). South Korea’s government launched a process to legalise some edible insects in 2011. On the list there are mealworm, crickets (not the usual Acheta Domesticus , but the Gryllus bimaculatus species) and some larvae. Following this preliminary process, in 2016, the Korean Food and Drug Administration classified crickets and mealworms as normal foods, without restrictions. It is expected that other insects will be added soon to the eligibility list.