Cricket flour can be used as an ingredient in foods, the green light from the EU. The League: “Eat them yourself”
explodes the ‘anger‘ of the Made in Italyafter the decision of the European Commission who gave the Street free atintroduction on the EU market of partially defatted domestic cricket powder. So bread and biscuits can soon be packed with this new food. The League immediately thundered: “Eat them yourself”.
The product obtained from the Acheta domesticus species can be marketedreads the Official Journal of the EU, “for a period of five years from the date of entry into force of these regulations, 24 January 2023, only the company Cricket One Co. Ltd” unless “a subsequent applicant obtains an authorisation” after the procedure foreseen by EU rules. The Commission’s approval came after the positive opinion of the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) in which it is concluded “that there partially defatted powder of Acheta domesticus (domestic cricket) is safe under the proposed conditions and levels of use”.
Other than the protection of excellence, Made in Italy and the Mediterranean diet: for Brussels, the priority is insects on the plate, synthetic food and Nutriscore.
But does it seem normal to you?!? 😱 pic.twitter.com/TfyLW5Hmfj— European Parliament League (ID group) (@Lega_gruppoID) January 4, 2023
The ingredient can be used “in multigrain bread and rolls, crackers and bread sticks, granola bars, dry bakery premixes, cookies, dry goods filled and unfilled pasta, in sauces, processed potato products, legume and vegetable dishes, pizza, pasta products, whey powder”.
Green light for ‘cricket flour’ also “in meat substitute products, soups and concentrated or powdered soups, cornmeal-based snacks, beer-type beverages, chocolate-based products, fruit shells and oilseeds, snacks other than crisps and meat-based preparations intended for the general population”, is specified in the regulation.
The anger of the League: “It does not protect Made in Italy”
The opening of the EU to cricket flour raises a fuss among Northern League MEPs: an affront, this is their reasoning, to the excellence of the beautiful country.
“Other than the protection of excellence, Made in Italy and the Mediterranean diet: for Brussels, the priority is insects on the plate, synthetic food and Nutriscore. But does it seem normal to you?“: the tweet from the Lega delegation to the European Parliament is clear. “Eat them yourself!” reads the image attached to the twitter showing a plate of crickets.
Italy supply chain: it is not a sustainable choice and they can hurt
“Eat insects if you want exotic things, but it’s a bad faith game to promote them for a sustainable diet as an alternative to ours,” he says Luigi Scordamaglia, managing director of Filiera Italia. “No reservations, God forbid, for those who want to taste exotic “foods”, far from our culture, wrong and harmful, however, to present them as sustainable foods to choose as an alternative to our diet because they have less impact on the environment” specifies the councilor. “These are false statements – continues Scordamaglia – because our diet is not only of high quality, but with low environmental impact”.
Faced with the highest added value in Europe of 65 billion euros, an expression of the quality produced, the Italian agri-food sector has a related CO2 emission equal to a third of French emissions and half of those in Germany, not to mention comparison with other continents.
“Furthermore it should be considered that many insects contain numerous anti-nutritional elements which hinder the normal absorption of nutrients, reducing their nutritional efficiency – Scordamaglia continues – not to mention the contaminating chemical substances and cause of intoxication, such as that which occurred in 2007 in California due to consumption of grasshoppers imported from Mexico, substances often present in these insects, given that very often they are imported from countries with safety standards clearly lower than ours”.
And, concludes the managing director, “It is enough to propose synthetic or exotic foods far from our culture as a green panacea for the food of the future, our diet made of quality, safety, culture, territories and sustainability is the ideal model to enhance and protect “.
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