The UK’s Food Standards Agency (FSA) Permits Novel Food Edible Insects to Stay on the Market
Since Brexit, the UK’s edible insect sector has seen significant changes and some major challenges. Before Brexit, all edible insect enterprises functioned under interim measures set out in the EU’s novel food regulation. This regulation allowed insects to be legally farmed and processed for human consumption. While the novel food regulation has been maintained for the most part in the UK law, interim measures have not, which has left many producers in a state of uncertainty.
Highlights:
• The FSA has released a statement stating that they will permit all products containing edible insects to remain on the market while they go through the novel foods authorization process.
• The UK Edible Insect Association is trying to unite different companies with an interest in a particular species to share the costs of novel food applications.
• Over one-quarter of UK consumers say they are now willing to try eating edible insects.
Trying to build certainty for an uncertain novel food industry
The UK’s FSA has released a statement stating that they will permit all products containing edible insects to remain on the market while they go through the novel foods authorization process to assess their safety.
The FSA’s proposal will allow all edible insect products to remain on sale in the EU and UK if they have been marketed before 1 January 2018 and underwent the application for EU authorization as a novel food by 1 January 2019. While the applications are being assessed these novel foods must submit additional applications for authorization to the FSA or FSS by 31 December according to the proposal.
As the edible insect market is burgeoning in the UK and globally the FSA hopes that this plan and public consultation launched on 13 July 2022, will provide more clarity to the British edible insect industry.
The FSA states, “Our proposals will help businesses that have been affected by the uncertainty around insects for human consumption since the end of December 2020…Edible insect products will need to pass through the full authorization process in Great Britain to remain on the market, so we encourage businesses to talk to us about getting their application in and the support we can provide through the process”.
Food safety and compliance are a top priority for novel foods
In the UK, all insects are considered novel foods, except for a few species consumed either within the UK or EU before 1997, when the regulation came into effect.
In 2018, the novel foods regulation was updated to include whole edible insects, which means that approval is now required for these products. An interim period was allocated for products already on sale to allow the industry time to comply with the new standards and submit their applications for approval.
According to the FSA, which conducted a generalized risk assessment, the safety risks associated with edible insect products are “low,” if adequate health measures are in place, including hygiene standards, heat treatment, and labeling of allergen risks.
Edible insect producers fight to stay alive
After Brexit, while the novel food regulation was retained in UK law, the interim measures were not. Receiving legal authorization has become a major financial challenge for British edible insect companies as it can be quite costly and most are relatively small at this stage. This is compounded by the fact that they cannot raise more funds if in the interim their business becomes illegal.
The new proposal from the FSA aims to provide a legislated transition period for these enterprises to facilitate the authorization process. Many edible insect producers believe that the quickness of the approval process will be vital to allow the industry to survive.
As opposed to other countries that have predetermined lists of insect species that are widely consumed and recognized as “low risk” and allow them to be produced and marketed, the UK requires each species to be approved based on hundreds of pages of evidence that producers must compile.
To overcome these hurdles, the UK Edible Insect Association is trying to unite different companies with an interest in a particular species to share the costs of novel food applications. To this end, the association has already been able to submit one united application for the common house cricket (Acheta Domesticus) and plans to do the same for many more species.
The waiting time for FSA approval is roughly 18 months after the submission of the application.
Tiziana Di Costanzo, the co-founder of Horizon Insects, told the Guardian, “It sounds like a case of the left hand not knowing what the right is doing. Millions of pounds of public funds, for example through Innovate UK, have gone towards the development of insect-based food. Yet, the Food Standards Agency (FSA) is now hindering its very development.”
Novel food perceptions are shifting
The edible insect food industry in the UK and around the globe believes that their products can be a key part in helping to build a more sustainable future. UK Edible Insect Association Managing Director, Dr. Nick Rousseau, states “Research from our members’ extensive trials and user testing show that edible insect products, when professionally farmed and manufactured, offer the environmentally concerned consumer nutritious, tasty, and safe food products that can meet a significant proportion of their protein needs.”
But are consumers ready to make this switch?
According to FSA research, “over one quarter (26%) of UK consumers would be willing to try eating edible insects – with environmental concerns or sustainability the most common reasons.”
It appears consumers’ perceptions of edible insects are changing and the strong desire to be part of the solution for a more sustainable future is making many consumers willing to try new novel foods. The question remains if governments will be able to guarantee food safety while at the same time ensuring that the industry can flourish and does not lose traction before it gets started.
