Most Italians regard insects as foreign to the national food culture and would never serve them. This is the conclusion of a Coldiretti/Ixe' analysis of Barilla's announcement that it will not produce pasta with insect flour. According to the Coldiretti / Ixe survey, 54% of Italians are opposed to eating insects at the table, while 24% are neutral, 16% are in favor, and 6% do not respond". The marketing of insects for food purposes is now possible in Europe, thanks to the implementation of the EU regulation on "novel foods" on January 1, 2018, which allows whole insects to be recognized as both novel foods and traditional products from third countries. At the moment, the EU has already approved the sale of domestic crickets (Acheta domesticus), yellow meal larvae (Tenebrio molitor), and migratory locust as food.
|