Istat data
Crickets and larvae on your plate? No, thanks! The trend of insects at the table does not have an impact on Italians with imports of this type of product for food consumption having collapsed by 30% in 2024, according to a Coldiretti projection based on Istat data. In fact, arrivals have gone from 17600 kilograms in 2023 to 11.500 last year. Numbers also confirmed by the latest survey by Notosondaggi, according to which 78% of Italians who express an opinion are against the consumption of foods that contain insects even in flour, despite the aggressive campaigns in favor of introducing them into the diet, based on alleged “green” values.
Food alerts
In addition to being very far from the national gastronomic culture - Coldiretti recalls -, the consumption of these products raises, in fact, important questions regarding health and food and environmental safety. In addition to being potentially allergenic, most of these insects are produced and processed in non-EU countries, such as Vietnam, Thailand and China, which for years have occupied the top positions in the rankings for the number of food alarms. Many doubts had also been raised by the latest EU approval for the arrival on the market of powdered Tenebrio molitor larvae (yellow mealworm) treated with ultraviolet rays to increase the vitamin D content. A truly "ultra-processed" production process that, according to Coldiretti, should be accompanied by precise labeling to correctly inform consumers.
Marketing for nutritional purposes
The marketing of insects for food purposes – Coldiretti recalls – was made possible in Europe by the entry into force on January 2018, XNUMX of the EU regulation on “novel food” which allows insects to be recognized both as new foods and as traditional products from third countries. When the first insect-based products arrived on the market, Coldiretti asked that their presence be indicated on the label since the consumption of these insects can cause reactions in people allergic to shellfish and dust mites. An appeal that was followed by the signing of four decrees to ensure the necessary transparency for consumers. (Source COLDIRETTI)
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