Insects in food and their relevance regarding allergenicity assessment

Within the European Green Deal, the 'Farm-to-Fork' strategy aims to accelerate the transition to a sustainable food system and to make food systems fair, healthy and environmentally friendly. Insects contribute to the circularity of agriculture, and are ideal candidates to complement traditional sources of protein. In this context, a working programme within the European Food Risk Assessment (EU-FORA) Fellowship Programme framework was developed at the German Federal Institute for Risk Assessment in collaboration with the Spanish National Research Council. The purpose of this technical report is to describe the activities in which the fellow was involved. As part of the training, the fellow performed a literature search regarding insects as food and allergenicity resulting in 493 hits. Out of the literature search a comprehensive scientific database with 200 publications has been built using the application 'EndNote'. Furthermore, an extensive scientific review with the title 'Sustainable food systems: EU regulatory framework and contribution of insects to the Farm-to-Fork strategy' approaching several important issues regarding insects (Regulatory frame, Market situation, Labelling and Control, Application as food/feed, Consumer acceptance and Allergenicity risk assessment) has been drafted and sent for publication in a peer reviewed journal. In order to analyse the impact of food processing on the allergenicity of insects, different food samples were prepared and artificially digested using a protocol simulating the gastrointestinal tract. Further laboratory work to analyse the readouts, including enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), has been discussed and proposed, scheduled for the end of July. In conclusion, the present working programme, together with additional activities and training provided by different institutions, enabled the fellow to gain a broader perspective in food safety, particularly concerning insects as novel foods and their safety assessment.