The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) is addressing the growing interest in the potential benefits of using insects in food and animal feed. But many are wondering the risks from production, processing and consumption of this alternative source of protein.

EFSA has put together a risk profile that identifies the potential biological and chemical hazards as well as allergenicity and environmental hazards associated with the use of farmed insects as food and feed. The Scientific Opinion also compares these potential hazards with those associated with mainstream sources of animal protein.

EFSA concludes that when non-processed insects are fed with currently permitted feed materials, the potential occurrence of microbiological hazards is expected to be similar to that associated with other non-processed sources of protein. There are limited data available on the transfer of chemical contaminants from different types of substrate to the insects themselves.

The occurrence of prions – abnormal proteins that can cause diseases such as Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) in cattle and Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease in humans – is expected to be equal or lower if the substrate does not include protein derived from humans (manure) or ruminants.

Read more about their risk profile here.