Investigating Novel Food Safety; Edible Insects- and Food Handling-associated Hazards

A new CRP titled?“Investigating the safety of edible insects, other ‘novel’ foods and hazards associated with their production and processing practices” is hereby, presented.?
The increasing demand for food, and especially for alternative protein sources; as well as the shift towards highly nutritious animal feed for better and more cost-effective production, has opened the door to ‘novel’ foods including edible insects and their ingredients/derivatives around the world. These foods, especially insects, may contain a range of hazards, a threat to consumers. To safeguard these consumers and facilitate?trade, research is required to investigate the nature, diversity and extent of hazards (known and unknown) in these foods and those?arising from food production and processing. The safety of edible insects (wild or farmed) and many other ‘novel’ foods and ingredients intended for human and animal consumption is not well known hence the need for comprehensive research and investigation to create a better understanding. Potential hazards can be chemical, biological (e.g. pathogens, allergens, prions) or physical. Some literature has reported the presence of toxic metals such as cadmium in the black soldier fly and arsenic in the yellow mealworm. Residues of pesticides, veterinary drugs, hormones and persistent organic compounds/pollutants such as polychlorinated biphenyls among others, maybe found in insects and other ‘novel’ foods. This information is very limited and yet there is a broad category of ‘novel’ foods (at least 10) and over 2000 insect species varying from region to region.
Further information is needed on the potential bioaccumulation of harmful chemicals, and on whether treatments designed to control biological hazards in insects and other ‘novel’ foods (e.g. heating or other traditional methods) are themselves sources of hazards. In addition, there may be a possibility that certain hazards can be transferred from feed (insect) to food.
To facilitate the safe and effective integration of edible insects and other ‘novel’ foods and their ingredients into global food systems, several research and policy gaps must be addressed. These include the development of standardized substrate controls, validated methods, comprehensive toxicological assessments, and harmonized international regulations.
A major challenge to Member States is the lack of harmonized analytical methods for determining the safety of edible insects and other ‘novel’ foods and to effectively estimate the exact types and levels of hazards in these foods. This 5-year CRP will bring together 15-20scientists, to conduct research on the extent and diversity of known as well as unknown or little-known hazards in edible insects and other ‘novel’ foods, as well as hazards potentially resulting from food production and processing practices. The research will involve, among others, development, evaluation, optimization and validation of analytical protocols to help generate reliable data. Information produced can be useful for educating consumers and providing guidance for relevant decision making. A range of nuclear, isotopic and complementary techniques will be used.
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The project will also explore the possibility of investigating reliable biomarkers and protein profiles that facilitate a greater understanding of the hazards; as well as generating reference materials, data repositories and data-mining tools.?The overall objective is to support Member States in assessing food safety risks arising from alternative food and feed sources as well as different production and processing practices, through the use of nuclear and allied technology. The specific objectives include:?(1) to investigate known and unknown hazards in edible insects (wild or farmed); generate comprehensive data on levels and patterns; (2) to investigate known and unknown hazards in “novel” foods other than edible insects; generate comprehensive data on levels and patterns; (3) to investigate chemical and biological hazards (identifying trends) arising from different food production and processing practices (greater emphasis on “novel” food and edible insects, other foods not excluded); (4) to develop, optimize and validate or adapt nuclear, isotopic and critical complementary techniques for determination of chemical, biological and physical hazards in the targeted foods and feed of food safety concern; and/or arising from various food production and processing practices; (5) to generate relevant protocols and standard operating procedures; publish peer-review findings; (6) to develop internationally recognized practices and methodologies to ensure consistency, quality and efficiency in the identification and/or characterization of hazards in “novel” foods