In a strange move, the European Union decided to allow a type of insect to be put on the market for human food consumption, in a move that supports a more sustainable food system, as he described it.
The European Food Safety Authority reached a conclusion last January, according to which the possibility of consuming insects known as flour beetles without risk to human health, provided that the insect is completely dried or powdered, according to the Al Ain UAE website.
The European Commission, the executive authority in the European Union, announced that the 27 member states had agreed to a proposal "to allow the use of dried flour beetles as a new food species."
The Commission confirmed that these beetles can be used "as a complete dried insect in the form of a snack or as a component of a type of food product, in the form of powder in protein-rich products or in biscuits."
Companies operating in the food sector revealed that the products made from insects are rich in protein, minerals, vitamins, fiber and healthy omega-6 and omega-3 fatty acids, stressing that they will help prevent nutrient deficiencies.
For its part, the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations "FAO" described these insects as "a safe and very nutritious food source."
The European Commission revealed that insects can be an alternative source of proteins, given their limited environmental footprint compared to other protein sources.
Some estimates indicate that millions of people consume about a thousand species of insects in their food in Africa, Asia and Latin America, but the sites of insect breeding in the European Union, which produce a few thousand tons annually, are used especially to feed animals, especially fish.
The European permission is expected to become official within the next few weeks.
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