Edible insects: crunching legal clues on entomophagy

The interest in «edible insects» has been gradually increasing in Western countries. 2015 seemed to represent the turning point for entomophagy also within the European Union: EU Institutions offered solutions to some of the most significant uncertainties hindering the phenomenon diffusion. The paper aimed to take stock of the situation, while highlighting some legal concerns originating from the new trend. Starting from a short summary of the pros and cons of the development of entomophagy, and considering what was happening at an international level, the article then focused on the regulatory approach that the European Union had been taking on the issue. It provided an overview of the rules on novel food, paying attention to the different interpretations that, under such provisions, EU Member States delivered on the marketability of edible insects, until the adoption of Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. The paper quickly summed up the obstacles to entomophagy that the scientific opinion of the European Food Safety Authority on risks related to the consumption of insects as food and feed tried to answer. While recognizing the importance of law as a precondition to the diffusion of entomophagy, but putting up the idea that «edible insects» could turn to be just a passing fad, the paper concluded that the key for success was not in the regulatory framework.