(NewsReady.com) – Over the last couple of years, cricket powder has become a popular source of protein for people. Yes, that is exactly what it sounds like — 100% ground-up crickets. The European Union (EU) just green-lit the use of the powder in other products.
On January 3, the EU approved the use of the ground-up insects in a wide variety of food. According to a press release, Europeans granted a request from Cricket One Co. Ltd to allow partially defatted powder made from the house variety to be sold as a novel food. The company has permission to add the pulverized insect to crackers, pizza, multigrain bread, processed potato products, whey powder, beer-like beverages, chocolate confectionary, meat preparations, and many, many other products.
Customers will have to look at the ingredient label to see if it lists Acheta domesticus. It’s unclear whether the company is going to boldly advertise the inclusion of the insect powder on the labels in order to appeal to buyers who want to purchase it specifically. In addition to listing the ingredient, packages will contain an allergy warning for those who have sensitivities.
For all of you who live in the EU, house crickets are now allowed in food products. To find if it's used in a food product, you need to look for "Acheta Domesticus" in the contents. https://t.co/olzLKIjOO6
— David Roth-Lindberg (@RothLindberg) January 18, 2023
Cricket powder contains as much as 65.5% protein by weight. The adult insects provide between 13 and 20 grams of protein per 100-gram serving. Cricket flour has about 6 grams per serving.
The house cricket isn’t the only insect that is allowed in food. Yellow mealworms and grasshoppers are also on the list of novel foods. The EU Commission Implementing Regulation authorized the addition of powdered, frozen, dried, and paste mealworm larvae to be sold this way as well. Fresh yellow mealworms contain about 20% protein. Grasshoppers, on the other hand, are about 40%.
Would you implement insects like mealworms, crickets, and grasshoppers into your diet, or do you think that’s a bridge too far on your fitness and nutrition journey?
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