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MIMER MIMER. The European Union “introduces a new worm to food”? What is this beetle

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The European Union again wants to impose on Poles “food from worms instead of meat and dairy products” – such right -wing politicians interpret the decision to enter the powder from a certain species of beetles on the EU list of so -called new food. Only that this worm has been allowed to eat a long time ago. We explain what the “irradiated larvae of yellow mealing” is about.

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Almost two years after appearance in Poland false message In January 2025, the topic returns that “the European Union wants to force us to eat worms”. This time, according to the authors of some articles and social media users – including politicians – a new species of worms was allowed to consume on the EU market: “Larvae of yellow mealfa”.

Topagrar.pl website on January 24 published an article entitled: “Larvae of yellow meal in food: the European Commission has given permission.” The author writes: “We will eat yellow flour larvae? The European Commission believes that we have nothing to fear, because the larvae will be irradiated with UV rays. Flour and other products from these larvae, in frozen, dried or powder, will produce and introduce Market Square Nutriearth “.

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This text on his account on the X was provided by, among others Confederation politician Marek Tucholski, a candidate of this party in the last elections to the European Parliament (he started from a district covering the Masovian Voivodeship). “Another conspiracy theory is confirmed. Already for consumption there are migratory locusts, home cricket, glistening mold, miller's flour and yellow flour” – wrote. In one of the next comments Tucholski he specifiedthat “the commission does not yet force us to eat worms”, but “for now only agrees to their introduction into food in the absence of a clear marking of products containing insects and their potential health effects.”

Manipulative entries on the decision of the European Commission regarding the larvae of the flourx.com

In turn, an activist of PiS youth Oskar Szafarowicz linked the document of the European Commission with the President of Warsaw Rafał Trzaskowski, who is running in the presidential election on behalf of the Civic Coalition. “The European Commission approved the use of powdered larvae as a 'ingredient' in several categories of food, including in bread, but also in the case of cheese, fruit and vegetable jams, food based on pasta, processed potato products” – wrote On January 27 on the website X. “This is a legal act in accordance with the C40, from 2022, forced by the Citizens' Coalition candidate for the President of the Republic of Poland, you remember the mockery of the left-liberal salons, when the right wing warned that the Tusk camp would strive to impose on Poles his utopian vision – food from worms instead of dairy meat? – he added (original spelling).

What is the “Agenda C40” We explained in Zasta24. Let's focus on the transmission about the larvae of the yellow mealfa and “introducing them to food in the absence of a clear marking.” Because in many others, anonymous entries It has just been emphasized that the larvae of the meal of the MEPs were introduced to the market by the EC as “new food”.

This is not entirely true, because products using this worm species have been on the EU market for a long time.

“New food” after a positive safety assessment

The current discussion concerns Executive Regulation of the Commission of January 20, 2025, allowing the market for launching powder from the entire larvae Tenebrio Molitor (Mądnik Młynarek) under UV radiation as a new food. The document reads that in July 2019 the application to the European Commission for permission to launch such an ingredient was submitted by the French company Nutriearth.

As a “new food”, EU institutions define those products that were not significantly used in the EU for human consumption before May 1997. According to the “new food” procedure, after receiving the application for admission from the powder of the flour larvae from the French company, the European Commission asked the European Food Safety Office (EFSA) with a request to assess the safety of such a product. Office He issued a positive recommendation in March 2023. He stated that the flour larvae powder is safe in the proportions proposed by the manufacturer and the EC. He only noted that the product can cause allergic reactions in people allergic to crustaceans and house dust mites, which is why such information must be contained on the packaging of products containing powder, at least until deepened tests are carried out. As for UV radiation itself, the office confirmed that it increases the content of vitamin D3 in powder powder, but despite this the product “does not constitute a significant source” of this vitamin.

Considering the conclusions of EFSA, the European Commission in January 2025 ordered the entry of “powder from the entire larvae Tenebrio Molitor (Mącznik Młynarek) subjected to UV radiation “on the official list of” new food “conducted from 2017. According to the list, such a powder from February 20, 2025 to 10 February 2030 may be added to bread, rolls, cakes, cakes, products based on products pasta, processed products from potatoes, cheese and fruit and vegetable mousses. and in cheese and cheese products a maximum of one gram per 100 grams of product.

However, the authors of articles and posts are wrong when writing that the European Commission has allowed the new species of worm for use: yellow flour larvae.

The worm is the same. The supplement is available from 2021

The guilty of imprecise message is, among others Various Polish translation of the name of the beetle. Internet users write that “Mącznik Młynarek” is already approved for consumption in the EU, and the latest regulation concerns “yellow mealing”. However, this is the same species, named in Latin Tenebrio Molitor. It is worth noting that in official Polish translation The new regulation of the EC is the name “Tenebrio Molitor (Mącznik Młynarek)”.

It is important because There are already two others on the “New Food” list, for several years, permits for the addition of a grinder larvae of the grinder to various food products. The first in June 2021 was received by the French company SAS EAP Group. She was allowed to add “dried larvae of the grinder (Tenebrio Molitor)” to protein products, biscuits, pods -based dishes and pasta products. Then, in March 2022, the Commission allowed the Dutch company Fair INSECTS to add a “frozen, dried and powdered form of a miller's meal (larvae Tenebrio Molitor)” to a very wide cross -section of products. These are Bread, rolls, bars, pizza, sauces, chips, soups, salads, chocolate, mixed alcoholic beverages or raw meat products. That is why in 2021 the grinder was described in press articles as “the first insect on the EU list [nowej żywności]”.

Read more: Dried worms sold in whole or as a ingredient in cookies. The first insect on the EU list

The authors of the alarming entries that “there will be bread with the addition of insect larvae” are not aware that bread with the addition of flour from flour flour from the grinder larvae has been on the EU market for almost four years.

So why did Nutriearth apply with a separate application for admission of its product obtained from the larvae of the mealuns? We asked about it in the European Commission.

Product marking requirement

In response to the questions of the SPECT24, a spokeswoman for the European Commission said that the authorization applies to a specific product, its specification, conditions of application or labeling requirements.

First of all, the new permit applies to the form of powder from the larvae of the UV radiation, which was not in the conclusions previously reported by other companies. For this reason, on the labels of products with this addition, you need to place information: “powder from the entire larvae Tenebrio Molitor (Mącznik Młynarek) subjected to UV radiation” – and it is not enough, for example .

Secondly, the application was submitted by a new company that must obtain a permit regardless of others already in force on the EU market.

Thirdly, the conditions of application are different, because, for example, in breads and breads of larvae powder can be a maximum of four grams per 100 grams of product, while the dried and powdered larvae in the permit from 2022 may be a maximum of 10 grams per 100 grams of bread .

That is why Marek Tucholski's thesis from the confederation, who wrote about “the lack of a clear designation of products containing insects and their potential health effects” is false. In each permission for “new food”, the European Commission clearly indicates what information must be on the label containing the product. It is also necessary to inform about possible allergic reactions that may occur in specific consumer groups. In the case of a new powder from the larvae of the flour, these are people allergic to crustaceans and house dust mites.

Read more in Zasta24: The EU wants to “force us to eat worms” or “we already eat them”? What is Koszenila?

Most countries voted “for”

In the message sent to the European Commission, the European Commission spokeswoman reminded that Member States are also involved in the “new food” approval process. Their representatives vote on the EC ordinances as part of the Permanent Committee for Plants, Animals, Food and Feed. Voting, however, is not personal – so only the final result is known, not the personal details or distribution of their votes. In the case of larvae of the flour larvae of the grinder subjected to UV radiation The committee voted November 20, 2024: 20 countries were “for”, one “against”, and six abstained.

To sum up: just like two years ago, threatening the thesis that “the Union wants to force us to eat worms”, it had no grounds, so now the thesis about the EC authorization to add a new type of beetle to food is false.

Source of the main photo: Shutterstock



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