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According to EU regulations, mealworm powder can be used in various products but must be declared.
A new EU regulation will come into force on Monday (February 10, 2025): mealworm powder may now be included in bread and cheese, among other things. However, the authorization is initially limited to 5 years.
Dried yellow mealworms have already been approved as a food in the EU since 2021, and now mealworm powder, which can be added to other products, is also included in the EU’s list of “novel foods”.
In the future, mealworm powder may be included in the following products:
Bread, pastries, cakes
Pasta
Potato products
Cheese and cheese products
Fruit and vegetable compote
Approval for five years
The mealworm powder will initially be approved for five years—exclusively for Nutri’Earth. The French company, which already submitted a corresponding application in 2019, thus has a monopoly on distributing UV-treated larvae powder in the EU. In the production of mealworm powder, the larvae are treated with UV radiation before they are processed into powder, which is intended to reduce pathogens and, thus, the risk of disease.
Mandatory declaration and allergy warning
According to EU regulations, mealworm powder must be declared an ingredient in food as “UV-treated larval powder of Tenebrio molitor (mealworm).” The corresponding information must appear next to the list of ingredients or next to the product name. The products must also be provided with a corresponding allergy warning. People who are allergic to crustaceans or house dust mites could also have an allergic reaction to mealworm powder.
The yellow mealworm, whose larva has been used for centuries, particularly in Southeast Asian cuisine, is rich in nutrients, unsaturated fats, vitamins, and minerals.
- source: vienna.at/picture: canva.com/pixabay.com
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