260 thousand tons by 2030 – Corriere.it

a theme on which social media and politics easily manage to polarize public opinion (with tones that are not always calm), especially in Italy, where the culinary tradition is excellent and has a long history. Yet, insect-based foods are becoming increasingly popular. In Europe alone, as Cia-Agricoltori Italiani recalled, which took stock with Nomisma at the 9th Economic Conference organized on 8 February at the Palazzo dei Congressi in Rome, the increase in products derived from these animals by 2030 will reach 260 thousand tons, purchased by over 390 million consumers.

The nutritional values ​​of insects

Even if some try to demonize them, especially focusing on the widespread repulsion towards insects, products based on these animals are rich in proteins (more than classic vegetable flours), provide a good supply of essential amino acids, can stimulate the immune system, example through chitin (which is then among the main components of the exoskeleton of insects). Furthermore, they are an aid to climate change and human impact on the planet, producing less greenhouse gases and ammonia and consuming much less water than domesticated livestock species. Also for this reason, among the food trends framed in the context of novel food, by the Nomisma report, alongside insects there is also a boom in the world market for in vitro meat, which has already recorded staggering investments, equal to 1.3 billion. This aspect, perhaps, could be more worrying, precisely because synthetic food could undermine, according to the CIA, proper nutrition, as well as the Made in Italy agri-food sector.

Cia: Synthetic meat as opposed to our idea of ​​food

The green light from the American Food and Drug Administration for chicken meat produced in the laboratory then turns the spotlight on Europe’s latent ambitions in this sense, with the world’s leading companies, including laboratories and start-ups, going from 13 to 117 since 2016 to 2022 and global in vitro meat production expected to increase to 2.1 million tonnes by 2030. Synthetic meat – said the national president of CIA, Cristiano Fini – goes in the opposite direction to what our idea of ​​food, based on the enhancement of our agricultural and zootechnical productions, is a symbol of high quality and identifier of national territories and traditions . According to Fini, in vitro meat is an artificial production that ends up costing more in terms of environmental sustainability and does not guarantee better health and nutrition for citizens.

Insect flours: 260 thousand tons by 2030

From this point of view, flour made from insects is much better. The EU Commission has recently cleared customs for the placing on the market of cricket flour and mealworms. From 24 January, in fact, the partially defatted flour of Acheta domesticus (house cricket) can be sold as food and on 26 January the regulation came into force which gives the green light to the frozen larvae of Alphitobius diaperinus (minor mealworm), in paste, dried and powdered. Eight other insect-derived applications are pending approval. According to Nomisma, in a short time we will have a greater use of insects as ingredients in food products, with EU production growing by 180 times from 2019 to 2025, going from 500 to 90 thousand tons to reach 260 thousand in 2030. And if, on the one hand, a drop in the production of whole insects of almost 15% is expected between now and the next three years, on the other hand, sales of bread, meat substitutes and nutraceuticals will rise by an average of 5% of insect dust.