Reuters reports that Wednesday’s decision by the European Food Safety Agency (EFSA) paves the way for the yellow grubs to be used whole and dried in curries and other recipes and as a flour to make biscuits, pasta and bread.
Despite their name, mealworms are beetle larvae rather than worms and are already used in Europe as a pet food ingredient.
Rich in protein, fat and fibre, they are likely to be the first of many insects to feature on European’s plates in the coming years, EFSA chemist and food scientist Ermolaos Ververis told Reuters.
