There are currently about 1,900 known edible insect species on our planet, yet the lines as to what we in the UK and EU can and cannot legally consume have been blurred by the 2018 Novel Foods (England) Regulations. This new legislation applies to all categories of foods that “were not used for human consumption to a significant degree” within the EU before 15 May 1997.

Waters have been muddied further by Brexit, which means different regulations for insect farms in the UK and the EU.

In January 2021 the European Food Standards Agency approved the first insect (the yellow mealworm) for human consumption across Europe, which was followed by the lesser mealworm and a couple of others.

European Food Standards Agency

It’s a signal that things are moving in the right direction and there are more than 20 applications for edible insects currently awaiting approval.

In the meantime, the good news is that we do have some brilliant sources of insect protein native to the UK, and farming insects for consumption is surprisingly easy.

Tiziana Di Costanzo, who runs urban insect farm Horizon Insects, went from breeding mealworms in her utility room to building a specialised shed in her garden, in which she offers insect cookery classes and sells fresh ones ready for the pot, as well as insect breeder starter kits. “Mealworms are by far the easiest to farm due to the smaller space requirements to keep them healthy,” she says. “In comparison, crickets are territorial, so they need a lot more space to be ethically farmed.”

Because one female mealworm beetle lays about 500 eggs, these creatures produce protein relatively quickly. Horizon Insects is still breeding, consuming and selling from the same batch of insects it purchased back in 2012. For a small initial outlay of £14 for 50 beetles, you could have a source of sustainable protein for life.

All you need is a heat-controlled room (such as a utility or converted garage) and leftover peelings, and you have a versatile and tasty ingredient that can be roasted, fried or ground into flour.

Tiziana’s interest in insect cookery has mainly come from a desire to understand why some cultures enjoy insects in their diets. “We have clients who have visited countries such as Mexico and Thailand and tried insects, and crave them again,” she explains. “We’ve also had vegetarians and vegans who want to explore different food options that fit with their environmentally beneficial diet and food choices.”

It certainly seems to be an exciting time for emerging independent insect-based food companies. A number of small online retailers – there are about 25 insect-based food companies in the UK – offer a range of items, such as crackers made with cricket flour; flavoured mealworm snack bags; and even insect protein powder. According to Sarah Beynon, director of Bug Farm Foods, there is a growing acceptance of insect-based food. “Consumers are being led more and more by the sustainability and nutritional benefits of insect protein,” she says.

While there isn’t enough science yet to conclude the environmental impact of large-scale insect consumption, there is certainly research to demonstrate the huge environmental benefit that eating insects has in comparison to our overconsumption of meat and dairy. But as American naturalist Joseph Bequaert wrote in his paper ‘Insects as Food’ in 1921: “What we eat is, after all, more a matter of custom and fashion than anything else.”

Awareness and understanding that it is merely our societal and cultural norms that encourage us to form specific opinions about certain products is crucial in breaking down these barriers to alternative food sources and opening our minds to different ways of producing food that is good for our health and our planet.