Do you know you're going to eat bugs?

Recently, the European Commission granted permission to process the house cricket into multiple foodstuffs. Insects may be a meat substitute and alternative source of protein. The goal is for insects to play a larger role in a more sustainable food system. With the new EU permit, partially degreased powder obtained from whole house cricket can now be incorporated into, among other things, multigrain bread, crackers, breadsticks, cereal bars, pizzas and chocolate sweets.

Indeed, the world population is growing rapidly, and so is the demand for food. The global population is estimated to grow to around 10 billion inhabitants by 2050. Then 70 percent more food will also be needed to feed all citizens. This makes the urgency for 'alternative' food sources such as insects great.

Following a positive opinion from the European Food Safety Authority on the use of cricket flour in food, the European Commission will allow cricket flour to be incorporated into a variety of foods starting this week. Remarkable, because only two out of ten Dutch people are open to insect-based products. Behavioral expert Romy Quint is at our desk and sheds light on the matter.

Eating insects More than 1,900 insect species are eaten worldwide, including locusts, crickets, caterpillars, beetles, cockroaches, ants, bees, wasps, termites, butterflies and moths. The adult insects are edible, but also the larvae or pupae.

An insect versus traditional cattle