Source: European Parliament
Question for written answer E-000538/2025
to the Commission
Rule 144
Gerald Hauser (PfE)
The EU recently adopted a regulation allowing the use of insect larvae meal in food. As insects are biologically related to crustaceans, they can cause allergic reactions in sensitive individuals. A study (‘A parasitological evaluation of edible insects – PMC, NIH’) also shows that the consumption of insects poses the risk of parasitic diseases, which can be dangerous for both humans and animals. The study analysed samples from 300 insect farms in central Europe, including farms rearing mealworms, house crickets, Madagascar hissing cockroaches and locusts. The result was alarming: Parasites were present in 81.33 % of farms (244 out of 300). In 68.67 % of cases, only insects were affected, while in 35.33 % of the cases the parasites were potentially dangerous to animals and in 30.33 % also to humans.
- 1.How are hygiene, rearing conditions and animal welfare standards in insect farms in the Union controlled?
- 2.Are insect farms in the Union regularly tested for parasites?
- 3.Which parasites have been found in insects during such controls and how often are they carried out?
Submitted: 5.2.2025