from Dipl. oec. Traute Kaufmann 05. May 2024
Nutrinsect starts production of cricket flour for Italian food products
Despite the opposition of the Italian government Meloni, which vehemently opposes the use of insect flour in Italian food, the company Nutrinsect in Montecassiano started breeding crickets for the production of flour for human consumption in January 2024: “Since January 2024, we have been officially authorized to market our crickets as ‘novel food’ in Italy and the rest of Europe” (1). The cricket breeding facility for food is located in the province of Macerata and is expected to produce one ton of insect flour per month.
Crickets previously bred for animal feed now also for food
Nutrisect has been prepared for this moment for a long time. Four years ago, the company imported 10,000 crickets from Germany for the production of pet food.
After the EU launched the use of insect meal in human food in 2022 with the European migratory locust, Nutrisect is now expanding the business from the animal feed market to the food market and produces cricket meal for foodstuffs. According to the media, Josè Francesco Cianni, Managing Director of Nutrisect, believes that ‘insects are the food of the future’ (2). Nutrinsect is now marketing cricket meal for food.
Several studies warn against eating insects
According to the 2016 study published by five scientists in Frontiers in Microbiology, chitin was found in the brain tissue of Alzheimer's patients (3). Another study from 2018 indicates that the interactions between the chitin present in the insect exoskeleton and the immune system are not yet fully understood (4). In addition, harmful substances such as cadmium can accumulate in the fat bodies of the fat-rich insect larvae, which can lead to kidney or bone damage and trigger allergies or even anaphylactic shock. The position of Nutrinsect's management on this issue is not known. However, the company points out in a blog: “The addition of cricket powder to daily preparations must always be carried out in compliance with the maximum levels provided for in European Regulation 188/2022, which can be viewed at the following link: Implementing Regulation - 2022/188 - EN - EUR-Lex ( europa. EU )” (5).
The government wants to protect consumers from the indiscriminate use of insect meal
In March 2023, the Italian government passed four decrees to regulate the use of flours made from crickets, migratory locusts, mealworms and larvae. The use of insect meal in certain foods, such as pizza and pasta, is prohibited. In addition, manufacturers are obliged to clearly indicate on the labelling of the corresponding foodstuff if the product contains insect meal (6).
The InsectInspekt.app / InsekteninLebensmitteln.com helps you to recognize foods that contain insect components when shopping
If you don't want insects in your food, check your groceries for insect flour, insect fat and other ingredients from insects with the app called InsectInspect / Insects in Food.
The app can read the list of ingredients and therefore offers the highest
hit rates
The app reads the EAN code or the list of ingredients and reliably identifies unwanted insect ingredients. And of course the app also works for checking dog and cat food for unwanted insect ingredients such as house cricket, flour beetle, grasshopper and buffalo worm. Unlike comparable apps, the app can read the list of ingredients and is therefore independent of the functionality of the EAN code. This is important because many EAN codes are not stored in official databases such as the Open Food Fact. This is where comparable apps fall short and often display a question mark because they cannot read the ingredients. Insect Inspect.app does not let you down here, which is particularly important for regional foods, as these are not usually stored in official databases. The app is available for both iOS and Android.
Sources:
(1) Nutrinsect (2024). Polvere liofilizzata di grillo. Retrieved from https://www.nutrinsect.it/food on 05.05.24
(2) Oberösterreichisches Volksblatt (31.01.2024). Fabrik für Insektenmehl in Betrieb gegangen. Retrieved from https://volksblatt.at/chronik/aus-aller-welt/fabrik-fuer-insektenmehl-in-betrieb-gegangen-847945/ on 02. Februar 2024.
(3) Pisa, D., Alonso, R., Rábano, A., Horst, M.N., Carrasco, L. (07.11.2016). Fungal Enolase, β-Tubulin, and Chitin Are Detected in Brain Tissue from Alzheimer’s Disease Patients. Frontiers in Microbiology. Retrieved from https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fmicb.2016.01772/full on 10.07.2023.
(4) Ali Komi, D.E., Lokesh S, Dela Cruz, C.S. (01.04.2018). Chitin and Its Effects on Inflammatory and Immune Responses. HHS Public Eccess. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5680136/pdf/nihms912752.pdf on 10.07.2023.
(5) Nutrinsect (2024). Autorizzata in Italia la Polvere liofilizzata di grillo. Retrieved from https://www.nutrinsect.it/post/autorizzata-in-italia-la-polvere-liofilizzata-di-grillo on 05.05.2024.
(6) Der Standard (23.03.2023): Keine Heuschrecken für Pizza und Pasta in Italien. Retrieved from https://www.derstandard.at/story/2000144836286/keine-heuschrecken-fuer-pizza-und-pasta on 23.04.2024..
Picture credit:
Bell tower of Macerata: Pixabay - emiliodidonatoo.