Novel foods: a risk profile for the house cricket (Acheta domesticus)

Abstract

Novel foods could represent a sustainable alternative to traditional farming and conventional foodstuffs. Starting in 2018, Regulation (EU) 2283/2015 entered into force, laying down provisions for the approval of novel foods in Europe, including insects. This Approved Regulation establishes the requirements that enable Food Business Operators to bring new foods into the EU market, while ensuring high levels of food safety for European consumers. The present risk profile tackles the hazards for one of the most promising novel food insects, the house cricket (Acheta domesticus). The risk profile envisages a closed A. domesticus crickets rearing system, under Hazard Analysis and Critical Control Points (HACCP) and good farming practices (GFP), in contrast with open cricket farms. The methodology used involves screening the literature and identifying possible hazards, followed by adding relevant inclusion criteria for the evidence obtained. These criteria include animal health and food safety aspects, for the entire lifespan of crickets, based on the farm to fork One Health principle. When data were scarce, comparative evidence from close relatives of the Orthoptera genus was used (e.g. grasshoppers, locusts and other cricket species). Nevertheless, significant data gaps in animal health and food safety are present. Even if HACCP‐type systems are implemented, the risk profile identifies the following considerable concerns: (1) high total aerobic bacterial counts; (2) survival of spore‐forming bacteria following thermal processing; (3) allergenicity of insects and insect‐derived products; and (4) the bioaccumulation of heavy metals (e.g. cadmium). Other hazards like parasites, fungi, viruses, prions, antimicrobial resistance and toxins are ranked as low risk. For some hazards, a need for additional evidence is highlighted.

Quality and Nutritional/Textural Properties of Durum Wheat Pasta Enriched with Cricket Powder

“…The change in legislation in this area may contribute to the increase of insect consumption in Europe [8,9]. Of note, the European Food Safety Authority published an analysis of the risks associated with the use of insects as food products, pointing to potential microbiological, chemical, or environmental risks, recommending the monitoring of edible insects, especially those coming from outside the European Union [10].…”

Benefits and Challenges in the Incorporation of Insects in Food Products

“…However, the sanitary conditions of these insects are not always adequate due to a lack of information, control, and regulation of the risks derived from their consumption. Insect biodiversity is huge, implying a remarkable diversity of metabolic pathways and microbiomes among the various species ( 107 ), making the process of hazard identification complicated. Other factors, such as cultivation, processing, and further storage conditions, in addition to the own characteristics of insects, heavily influence the food safety of edible insects and are factors that affect the risk assessment of insect consumption as feed and food.…”

Surface Micro Discharge–Cold Atmospheric Pressure Plasma Processing of Common House Cricket Acheta domesticus Powder: Antimicrobial Potential and Lipid-Quality Preservation

“…(1) high total aerobic bacterial counts in crude materials and (2) survival of spore−forming bacteria following thermal processing (Fernández-Cassi et al, 2018).…”