What concerns are there about the use of insect powder in food?

Flour from Crickets/Cricket powder

The global market for edible insects and insect powder is a global, lucrative business model

The global market for edible insects, including insect powder, is growing explosively, with sales of around USD 1.48 billion in 2024 and annual growth of 20% expected, bringing the market to around USD 9.14 billion by 2034. These are very attractive prospects that very few industries can currently offer. Key players such as EntoMarket and the Aspire Food Group are currently driving the market forward. Their innovations are intended to promote the acceptance of insect products (1).

North America and Europe are the largest sales markets for edible insects and insect powder

Contrary to what one might assume, the most important sales markets are not in Asia or Africa. Rather, North America leads the list with a share of 34% (2023), followed by Europe (28%). This is followed by the Asia-Pacific region, known as traditional insect eaters, with 22%, Latin America with 10% and the Middle East and Africa with a combined 6% (1).

The European Union supports concepts to improve insect production and its acceptance as a foodstuff

Europe's strong market position is due in part to support from the European insect producer cooperative ValuSect. Selected companies receive support to further develop their creative concepts to improve insect production and increase customer acceptance in north-west Europe. According to its own information, the ValuSect project is part of the ‘Interreg Programme Northwest Europe’, which is financed by the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) (2). The co-founder is the European Union. According to its own statements, the objective is: [...] to position insects as an integral part of a more sustainable diet in north-west Europe’ (3). According to the organisation's website: ‘[...] is dedicated to generating and disseminating knowledge about insects that is relevant to the entire supply chain from growers to consumers. The aim of the project is to position insects as an integral part of a more sustainable diet in North West Europe’ (3).

According to scientific findings and reports, what concerns speak against the use of insect powder in food?

Concerns about the use of insect powder in food are based on scientific evidence and reports. They come from a diverse spectrum and cover aspects such as health risks, cultural acceptance, production challenges and ethical considerations that affect consumer safety. These include:

• Microbiological contamination: Insects can carry bacteria such as Bacillus cereus, Salmonella and Campylobacter, especially if they are raw or wild. Processing, such as blanching or drying, can reduce these risks, but improper storage can lead to recontamination. (4)

• Chemical contamination: Insects can ingest heavy metals such as cadmium, lead and arsenic as well as pesticide residues from their substrates. The concentration depends on the environment and the food source, such as organic waste or contaminated soil. (5) Larvae of Tenebrio molitor (mealworms), for example, can accumulate heavy metals from the soil and become toxic. (6)

• Allergies: There is a high risk of allergic reactions, especially in people who are allergic to house dust mites or shellfish. Proteins such as arginine kinase and tropomyosin, which are found in insects, can trigger cross-reactive allergies. Chitin, a component of insect armour, can also cause inflammatory reactions. (7) Reports show that insects have been the fourth most common source of allergies in China since 1980, without causing deaths. (8)

• Health risks for specific groups: Insect powder can be problematic for people with gout as it is high in protein, and eating parts such as grasshopper feet can lead to fatal intestinal blockages. (9)

• Religious restrictions: According to Jewish kosher law (Leviticus 11:41), most insects are ‘detestable’ and may not be eaten, except for certain species of locusts and grasshoppers. In Islam, locusts and grasshoppers are permitted, and eating insects for survival is halal. Buddhists reject the killing of insects. (10)

• Stigma and image: Insects are often seen as ‘food for the poor’, which makes them difficult to accept and can lead to rejection. (11)

• Diseases in breeding: Large farms are susceptible to diseases such as Acheta domesticus densovirus (AdDNV), which has decimated domestic cricket production in Europe and North America. Solutions lie in early detection and sanitation techniques. (12)

• Environmental contamination: Insects can accumulate heavy metals from their environment, posing health risks, especially when using contaminated substrates. (13)

• Ethical concerns: There is debate about the welfare of insects on a large scale, although the ability of insects to suffer is controversial. There are currently no widespread welfare standards in the industry. (14)

• High calorie content: Many edible insects have a high calorie content (290 to >750 kcal/100g), which can be problematic for people who are overweight or on certain diets. For example, Phasus triangularis larvae contain 77.2% fat. (9)

• Variability of nutrients: The nutrient composition varies depending on the insect species and rearing conditions, which can make consistency in food more difficult. (13)

• Taste and texture: Although insect powder often has a mild flavour and can be incorporated into baked goods, some consumers may find it unusual or unappetising. For example, cricket powder is described as nutty, but the texture may be perceived as strange in certain products. (15)

If you share the above concerns and don't want to take any risks, do as many satisfied shoppers do and check your food purchases for insect flour, insect fat and other ingredients from insects with the app www.insectinspect.app

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. InsectInspect.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 both as iOS, as well as for Androids available. On this Website you will find the links to the Apple Shop and Google Play, where you can purchase the product for a small fee and download it to your smartphone.

Sources:

1 – Precedance Research (29.06.2024): Edible Insects Market Size, Share, and Trends 2025 to 2034. Abgerufen von: https://www.precedenceresearch.com/edible-insects-market, am 11.03.2025.

2 – Interreg Nordweteuropa: Abgerufen von https://www.nweurope.eu/ am 11.03.2025

3 –Interreg – North-West Europe (Zürcher Hochschule für angewandte Wissenschaften). Abgerufen von https://www.valusect.eu/ am 11.03.2025.

4 - Imathiu, S. (3/2020)): Benefits and food safety concerns associated with consumption of edible insects. NFS-Journal, Vol. 18, pp 1-11. Abgerufen von https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S235236461930046X am 11.03.2025

5 - Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. 4.1 Edible insects. Abgerufen von https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/0aa558d4-57c7-498d-87f7-b9e37577882f/content/src/html/chapter-4.1.html am 11.03.2025.

6 - Tang, C., Yang, D.; Liao, H. et al (21.11.2019): Edible insects as a food source: a review. BMC. Abgerufen von https://fppn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s43014-019-0008-1.am 11.03.2025.

7 - Caldwell, J.M. (01.05.2022): What’s All the Buzz About Edible Insects? IFT. Abgerufen von https://www.ift.org/news-and-publications/food-technology-magazine/issues/2022/may/columns/safety-and-quality-edible-insects am 11.03.2025.

8 - Tang, C., Yang, D.; Liao, H. et al (21.11.2019): Edible insects as a food source: a review. BMC. Abgerufen von https://fppn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s43014-019-0008-1.am 11.03.2025.

9 - Tang, C., Yang, D.; Liao, H. et al (21.11.2019): Edible insects as a food source: a review. BMC. Abgerufen von https://fppn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s43014-019-0008-1.am 11.03.2025.

10 - Butz, L. (26.11.2021): Edible Insects: Why Aren’t We Eating More Bugs? New York food Policy Center. Abgerufen von https://www.nycfoodpolicy.org/edible-insects-why-arent-we-eating-more-bugs/ am 11-03.2025.

11 - Omuse, E.R., Tonnang, H.E.Z.; Yusuf, A.A. et al (29.02.2024): The global atlas of edible insects: analysis of diversity and commonality contributing to food systems and sustainability. Scientific Reports. Abgerufen von https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-55603-7) am 11.03.2025.

12 - Huis van, A. (15.12.2015): Edible insects contributing to food security? Agriculture&Food Security Vol. 20/2015. Abgerufen von https://agricultureandfoodsecurity.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40066-015-0041-5 am 11.03.2025.

13 - Food and Agriculture Organisation of the United Nations. 4.1 Edible insects. Abgerufen von https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/0aa558d4-57c7-498d-87f7-b9e37577882f/content/src/html/chapter-4.1.html am 11.03.2025.

14 - Wikipedia: Insects as Food. Abgerufen von https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Insects_as_food am 11.03.2025.

15 – Institute of Culinary Education (12.06.2019): Exploring the Flavor Profiles of Bugs. Abgerufen von https://www.ice.edu/blog/exploring-flavor-profiles-bugs am 11.03.2025.