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The Spoon

Daily news and analysis about the food tech revolution

mealworms

Ÿnsect Plans to Make Its Edible Mealworms Available for Human Consumption in Europe, the U.S.

From the locust to the Goliath Beetle, insects of many kinds are a regular part of people’s diets in many parts of the world, including Mexico, South Korea, Australia, and multiple African nations. In Western cultures, folks are far less excited about the prospect of eating bugs, though that is slowly changing. Just this week, the bugs-as-protein got another boost when Paris-based Ÿnsect announced it will enter the market for human food following a positive assessment of mealworms from the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Up to now, Ÿnsect has historically always farmed insects to use as fish and pet food as well as fertilizer. Specifically, the company focuses on Molitor larvae, also known as the mealworm. Mealworms are the larvae form of the darkling beetle, and this week, the EFSA officially declared them fit for human consumption “under the procedures required by the European Union regarding new food legislation,” according to Ÿnsect’s press release.

“This is a recognition that mealworm ingredients are premium products as they are uniquely ‘food grade’ compared to other insects used only in animal feed,” the company said.

For Ÿnsect, that means a move towards farming mealworms for human consumption, especially as part of sports and nutrition edibles. Before any food businesses in Europe can enter the market, it must first file a Novel Food application and get it approved. Ÿnsect said this week it has already done so, and also plans to file a GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) request in the U.S. “in the coming months.”

In Western countries, at least, there’s a well-documented “ick” factor when it comes to eating insects, Squirmy, slimy bits that they are, mealworms might require even more effort on the part of edible insect startups when it comes to helping consumers overcome their doubts. (We had our own heated discussion about mealworms last year on a weekly Spoon podcast.)

That said, our food has more insect parts than one might think, since it is “impossible” to completely remove all insects when harvesting and processing certain crops. Because of that, the USDA actually already permits a certain amount of insects or their parts in foods. In other words, Ÿnsect will in all likelihood receive GRAS for its mealworms once it files in the U.S.

In Europe, the company will compete with multiple others in bringing Molitor larvae to the masses. Notable among those is Sweden-based startup Tebrito, which raised €800,000 at the end of 2020 to scale up production of its nutrient-rich powder made from mealworms. And in Finland, EntoCube grows insects for human consumption. Outside Europe, Beobia has an at-home countertop device for growing mealworms in your own kitchen, should you so desire.

The EFSA’s recognition isn’t quite final: the favorable assessment has to be confirmed by European Commission’s Health Directorate General, which will give final market authorization for the European Union. 

Swedish Edible Insect Startup Tebrito Raises €800,000

Tebrito, a Swedish startup that creates insect protein, announced today that it raised €800,000 (~ $966,305 USD) to scale up its operations. Investors include Almi Invest, angel investors as well as Kanopé Impact and Crosslight Partners investment funds. This brings the total amount raised by Tebrito to €1,250,000 (~ $1.5M USD).

According to a press announcement sent to The Spoon, Tebrito’s extraction method allows it to get an 88 percent protein-rich ingredient from mealworms. Tebrito worked with researchers at the Swedish University for Agriculture for two years on its technology, which also separates oil and chitin from mealworms. The end result is a nutritious power that is odorless and tasteless.

Tebrito says that its production method also has environmental benefits, as it uses leftover cereal and discarded vegetables to feed its insects. The company is also exploring ways to use by-products from the pulp and paper and beer industries to feed its mealworms.

Part of the allure for insects-as-food is that as a protein source, they are much easier to cultivate and much less resource-intensive than raising cows or other larger species of animal.

But while there may be plenty of good reasons to start chowing down on insects, the concept has not crossed over into the mainstream yet in the U.S. Though that’s not for a lack of startups trying. Beobia makes a countertop device that lets you grow your own mealworms at home. Earlier this year Insectta nabbed an undisclosed investment from The Trendlines Group. And last month, Cricket One announced funding for its cricket based burger patty.

One recent development that could help with the mainstreaming of mealworm eating is that last month, the Swedish Food Safety Authority authorized insects as food. This type of regulatory stamp could help put peoples’ minds at ease.

For its part, Tebrito says it will use its new money to automate its operations and scale up production.