Eat grasshoppers, grasshoppers and worms – European Commission | As Europe battles price rise and energy crisis, European Commission approves locusts, crickets and worms as ‘food’

Brussels: The European Commission has made house crickets, locusts and yellow mealworms acceptable food in Europe. The commission informed that they can be marketed as a delicacy or a food item either dried or chilled. The commission had tweeted on its official page that these creatures are good for human consumption and are rich in protein, fiber and vitamins.

???????? Whether a snack or a food ingredient, did you know there are currently three insects authorised in the EU ‘novel food’?

‘House cricket’, ‘yellow mealworm’ and ‘migratory locus’ are the three types of insects authorised as ‘novel food’ in the EU market. ???? pic.twitter.com/PIvWNVWtBr

— European Commission ???????? (@EU_Commission) August 12, 2022

Eating them also benefits nature, the European Commission said, as farming uses less land and water, less food waste and less greenhouse gas emissions.

But many people from Europe came against this. Locusts have already been approved as edible by the European Commission in November 2021.

The Russia-Ukraine war, the energy crisis and a heat wave have sent prices of essential goods soaring in Europe. Along with that, the electricity tariff has also been increased. There are also reports that the commission has declared the animals as edible to combat this.

In 2019, when the locust attack was severe in Pakistan, Health Minister Ismail Rahu had told people not to be afraid and to eat them. He said to make biryani and BBQ using locusts, which he described as flying proteins.