Blog Posts – Page 2 – Woven Network CIC

January 31, 2020February 1, 2020

Novel foods in the UK – innovation and safety, sustainable food production and the evolving regulatory landscape

This event in January provided an opportunity to promote the benefits of farmed insects as a novel food/food ingredient and argue for a balanced approach to protecting the consumer. The event focused on the regulations relating to novel foods and how these might change in the light of Brexit.

While there was some speculation and expression of interest in a more flexible and less cautious approach, this has to be balanced with the continued need to protect consumers from risky products entering the market and the benefits of retaining the ability to sell into Europe.

I gave an impassioned presentation about insect protein and the tricky situation the sector finds itself in in the UK, given both the transition from former Novel Food Regulations to the new ones which now require insect material to be explicitly approved, the on-going situation where we are waiting to hear which insect products will be approved by the European Commission (and which of these will only apply to products developed with proprietary processes), and how the UK will diverge from the EU post Brexit in its rulings about Novel Foods.

Clearly there is scope for the UK to become a location that can allow more innovation on the basis of products that are intended for the UK market, and then once they are established and there is a good basis of evidence of their safety, the company could seek approval from the European Commission for approval to enter their market.

This presentation was reported in Food Navigator.com with a headline referring to the safety of insects as food.

A more comprehensive report of the meeting is available in the members section of the Woven website. A PDF copy of the briefing document for the whole meeting may be ordered for £95 from Westminster Forum Projects.

Nick Rousseau

January 31, 2020January 31, 2020

Nuffield Farming Scholarship Trust Report: Farming insects for food – opportunities and challenges

A Nuffield Farming Scholarship report by Adam Banks, published recently, explores the opportunities and challenges for farming insects for food in the UK. Through meetings with academics, entrepreneurs and industry organisations around the world he has built up a picture of the current state of the sector and proposes ideas about what the future might hold. There is mounting evidence that a diet enriched with insects may be beneficial for health and the environment. Although Western dietary prejudices are difficult to overcome, a recent YouGov survey found that a third of Britons expected insect consumption to be commonplace by 2029 and this mirrors industry forecasts, which predict strong growth for the sector over the next decade.

Despite the number of companies around the world that are rearing insects for human consumption is increasing rapidly, almost all insect-based food products sold in the UK contain insects which are imported from North America, South East Asia or other European countries. There appears to be a good opportunity for local producers to command an increased domestic market share. The sector should further benefit from new EU novel food legislation which has specific provisions for insects. Although disruptive in the short term, these regulations, which are explored in detail in the report, will serve to increase safety standards and public confidence going forward.

Despite this optimistic outlook there are still significant technical hurdles to overcome, a lack of automation means labour costs are high and efficiency is further reduced by the small scale of most farming operations. Furthermore, large European insect producers have lobbied successfully for favourable policy changes in Brussel. Outside the European Union, the UK stands to fall further behind its European competitors without similar support.

The report concludes that insect agriculture has the potential to help the UK achieve the goals of a future national food strategy and that government support will be essential to create an environment in which the sector can thrive.

The full report can be accessed here or found under our Resources/Reports (accessible to Woven members).

July 23, 2019

Woven Network at AquacultureUK 2020

Be Part of the Exclusive AquacultureUK 2020 Insect Pavilion

Please find here (AquacultureUK 2020 Insect Pavillion Deck) details of the options for exhibiting or sponsoring our presence at AquacultureUK 2020.

Places on the Insect Pavilion are very limited so do get in touch ASAP as they will be filled on a first-come (well, first-to-firmly-commit) first-served basis.

We hope to demonstrate the strength of the emerging sector. Whether or not you need to add to your order books, your support will help our collective cause.

We have offered a range of options for participation.

We look forward to hearing from you.

August 2, 2018December 31, 2018

Entoveganism: Veganism with a Six-Legged Twist

In May 2017, health-conscious John Galt decided to try the one diet he had never tried before. Curious about the vegan hype, he wanted to try it out himself, but with a controversial six-legged twist.

“When I noticed really positive changes in my body after about 6 weeks of mostly just eating a plant-based diet, I decided to do it for the rest of the year, but incorporate insects into my diet as a larger percentage of what I was eating,” explains Josh.

There are three main reasons that people try a vegan diet, because they love animals, for environmental reasons and for health reasons. While Josh doesn’t have a problem with people who eat meat or animal by-products, he believes that a vegan is both healthier and more ethical, however his main drive to entoveganism is his own personal health.

“Insects are the most sustainable form of animal protein,” Josh explains. “The comparison between 1kg of cricket protein (which can be grown literally in a concrete box) vs 1kg of beef product is incredible. The contrast between the amount of feed, water and land needed to produce it, plus the difference in the greenhouse gasses – insects win hands down.”

His original 6-month entovegan trial lead to him adopting this diet and lifestyle full time. He has also been promoting entoveganism on his website as well as social media, however he finds it difficult to imagine a world where everyone was entovegan.

“There would be a drastic improvement in overall environmental health,” says Josh. “Ultimately, there are still many unknowns in the whole Entomophagy industry, but from what we do know, it’s extremely promising as a food source. If toasted cricket chips start to replace MSG-covered GMO corn chips, for example, that’s going to a good thing for people’s diet in general.”

A diet is something extremely personal and can define who the person is. It seems that recently people have become really disconnected from their food – not thinking about where it came from or what it is doing to their wellbeing. Food is one of the greatest variables in our health and it is important for people to reconnect with their food, to have the right to know where it comes from and to be able to choose what they put in their bodies.

When it comes to the ethics of eating insects, Josh strongly believes that there are correct ways to do it. After pointing out that since insects don’t have a central nervous system, it is hard to prove that they are able to feel pain. In addition to this, farmed insects are ethically “put to sleep” usually by placing them on ice or in large freezers where they simply go to sleep and freeze, supposedly painlessly.

“There is less argument about the moral virtue of eating insects than there actually can be about eating commercially grown vegetables plants are also shown to respond with “feelings” to music or anger, but the biggest issue is that harvesting vegetables and grains actually kills innumerable small animals like field mice, bunnies, birds and reptiles.”

There is still so much that we don’t know about insects and are just now beginning to explore. Are there cures for diseases in entomophagy? Are there bugs that are high in antioxidants? Are there superfood insects? Is there an insect with a fast life-cycle that is the perfect nutritional profile for humans?

“Entomophagy just about acceptance,” Josh concludes. “100 years ago, lobster was the food of poor people and prisoners. Now it’s eaten by Jay-Z and Beyoncé paired with $1,000 bottles of bubbly. Insects are far more sustainable than lobster, and arguably even more nutritious.”

For more information on Josh and Entoveganism, click on the banner below: