This open access book proposes an in-depth study on a vast range of issues connected to the regulation of Novel Foods in the European Union, pursuing an interdisciplinary approach and thus providing a comprehensive picture of this complex topic. Particular attention is paid not only to the current EU legislative framework, its positive innovations, unsolved problems and limits, but also to food safety issues and the potential impact of Novel Foods on sustainability and food security. In addition, the book focuses on a particular category of Novel Foods: insects for human consumption. These products recently gained momentum after the first EU Commission authorisation of dried yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) in 2021. The book contributes to the lively public debate following this long-awaited authorisation by examining the legal issues arising from the application of the Novel Foods Regulation to these peculiar new foods; the EFSA risk assessment evaluations; the consumers’ perceptions and potential future of insect-based products’ market in the EU. By providing such an extensive analysis, including recent developments and future prospects, the book represents a valuable tool for students and academics, but also institutions and public authorities, helping them understanding the various challenges related to Novel Foods and edible insects. Furthermore, it seeks to promote an informed debate in order to find innovative solutions to pressing problems concerning how to feed the world of tomorrow.

This open access book proposes an in-depth study on a vast range of issues connected to the regulation of Novel Foods in the European Union, pursuing an interdisciplinary approach and thus providing a comprehensive picture of this complex topic. Particular attention is paid not only to the current EU legislative framework, its positive innovations, unsolved problems and limits, but also to food safety issues and the potential impact of Novel Foods on sustainability and food security. In addition, the book focuses on a particular category of Novel Foods: insects for human consumption. These products recently gained momentum after the first EU Commission authorisation of dried yellow mealworm (Tenebrio molitor) in 2021. The book contributes to the lively public debate following this long-awaited authorisation by examining the legal issues arising from the application of the Novel Foods Regulation to these peculiar new foods; the EFSA risk assessment evaluations; the consumers’ perceptions and potential future of insect-based products’ market in the EU. By providing such an extensive analysis, including recent developments and future prospects, the book represents a valuable tool for students and academics, but also institutions and public authorities, helping them understanding the various challenges related to Novel Foods and edible insects. Furthermore, it seeks to promote an informed debate in order to find innovative solutions to pressing problems concerning how to feed the world of tomorrow.

Also available as E-book see insects-as-food-feed-from-production-to-consumption For more information about the e-book, please contact Sales. Insects have a high potential of becoming a new sector in the food and feed industry, mainly because of the many environmental benefits when compared to meat production. This will be outlined in the book, as well as the whole process from rearing to marketing. Detailed photograph are shown at the start of each section and chapter."

This text provides an important overview of the contributions of edible insects to ecological sustainability, livelihoods, nutrition and health, food culture and food systems around the world. While insect farming for both food and feed is rapidly increasing in popularity around the world, the role that wild insect species have played in the lives and societies of millions of people worldwide cannot be ignored. In order to represent this diversity, this work draws upon research conducted in a wide range of geographical locations and features a variety of different insect species. Edible insects in Sustainable Food Systems comprehensively covers the basic principles of entomology and population dynamics; edible insects and culture; nutrition and health; gastronomy; insects as animal feed; factors influencing preferences and acceptability of insects; environmental impacts and conservation; considerations for insect farming and policy and legislation. The book contains practical information for researchers, NGOs and international organizations, decision-makers, entrepreneurs and students.

There is global interest in using insects as food and feed. However, before insects can be recommended as a type of nourishment to augment more traditional and widely accepted sources of food and feed, it is essential that in-depth research involving a variety of subjects is carried out. We can learn from societies in which insects are still a component of the local diet which species are preferred and how they are prepared for human consumption. We need information on the chemical composition of edible insects and have to make sure we know what kinds of micro-organisms and pathogens they contain. Legal questions in relation to the sale and breeding of certain species need to be addressed, and medicinal aspects of edible insects and their products should be examined. How best to market selected species and make them palatable to a clientele that more than often rejects the idea of insects in the diet are further important aspects in need of study. This book deals with these questions in 19 articles written by experts from at least 20 different countries that represent a range of disciplines. As such, it is a useful tome for a wide range of food researchers.

Edible insects have always been a part of human diets, but in some societies there remains a degree of disdain and disgust for their consumption. Although the majority of consumed insects are gathered in forest habitats, mass-rearing systems are being developed in many countries. Insects offer a significant opportunity to merge traditional knowledge and modern science to improve human food security worldwide. This publication describes the contribution of insects to food security and examines future prospects for raising insects at a commercial scale to improve food and feed production, diversify diets, and support livelihoods in both developing and developed countries. It shows the many traditional and potential new uses of insects for direct human consumption and the opportunities for and constraints to farming them for food and feed. It examines the body of research on issues such as insect nutrition and food safety, the use of insects as animal feed, and the processing and preservation of insects and their products. It highlights the need to develop a regulatory framework to govern the use of insects for food security. And it presents case studies and examples from around the world. Edible insects are a promising alternative to the conventional production of meat, either for direct human consumption or for indirect use as feedstock. To fully realise this potential, much work needs to be done by a wide range of stakeholders. This publication will boost awareness of the many valuable roles that insects play in sustaining nature and human life, and it will stimulate debate on the expansion of the use of insects as food and feed.

This book explores one of the most discussed and investigated novel foods in recent years: edible insects. The increasing demand for alternative protein sources worldwide had led the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) to promote the potential of using insects both for feed and food, establishing a program called “Edible Insects.” Although several social, environmental, and nutritional benefits of the use of insects in the human diet have been identified, the majority of the population in Western countries rejects the idea of adopting insects as food, predominantly for cultural reasons. Nevertheless, international interest in promoting the consumption of insects has grown significantly, mainly in North America and Europe. This trend is mostly due to increasing attention and involvement from the scientific network and the food and feed industries, as well as governments and their constituents. The book explores the current state of entomophagy and identifies knowledge gaps to inform primary research institutions, students, members of the private sector, and policymakers to better plan, develop, and implement future research studies on edible insects as a sustainable source of food. The case studies and issues presented in this book cover highly up-to-date topics such as aspects of safety and allergies for human consumption, final meat quality of animals fed with insects, the legislative framework for the commercialization of this novel food, and other relevant issues.