hperplexity has been raised by the choice by the European Union to introduce the sale of domestic cricket flour. It is not the first time that insects are found in the diet: before the cricket it was the turn of moths and locusts, always in flour, but this time the reaction was still felt. How come? “It’s just a novelty factor, from a hygienic and health point of view, insect farms are not only highly controlledjust to have the maximum guarantees, but they are also much more protein than other types of meat” explains Martina Donegani, nutritionist biologist.
Diet and insects: the approval of the European Community
But let’s start from the beginning. With the new year, the European Community approved the marketing of cricket powder obtained from domestic cricket farms. However, it is not the case of an insect introduced into the European diet: already in the previous months Brussels had approved the marketing of moth flour and that of the migratory locust.
“It’s about novel food, or a category composed of edible insects, a particular type of food not particularly consumed in Europe before 1997, the year in which they also began to appear in this market. Like all foods, these too can be frozen, dried or powdered and can be found in many foods. Novel foods can in fact be present in bread, crackers, breadsticks, biscuits but also sauces, pizza and pasta-based products, as well as being substitutes for meat.
The nutritional properties of insects
According to the FAO already over 2 billion people feed on insects, and not only with the simple flour obtained: «There are more countries in the world where insects are eaten of those where it is not done and are chosen for very specific reasons».
That is to say? “First of all, since from a nutritional point of view they are very valid because they contain more protein than meat. They also represent a sustainable supply chain because it is short and requires less land for breeding than livestock and therefore less energy resources. In the end produce less greenhouse gases and they can provide noble proteins at affordable prices to a large number of people. Let’s say that therefore the hostility towards novel foods is more cultural than dictated by actual reasons» explains the expert.
In this sense, therefore, they can be a plus for increasing the protein power of some basic foods such as bread and bread sticks but also in meat substitutes and soups.
Does eating insects have contraindications?
Unusual therefore for European cuisines, where among other things they are also already cooked in some restaurants, another advantage of insects is that they have no contraindications. If not there chitin, already present in crustaceans: «It is an element, which in insects is present in their hard part and which has a function very similar to the fibers, which however it can create allergies, the same as those who are already allergic to shellfish, where it is in fact present. Consequently, just like for crustaceans, there are no other particular contraindications”.
Not only that but, as the expert points out, insects are very safe products because like other foods in Italy and Europe are subjected to serving requirements before they are commercialized. Thus making them a viable alternative.
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