STRATEGIC
R & D
47
JAN 2017 FOOD FOCUSTHAILAND
Inaglobaleconomy, trade implies regulations,and
the latter is today seen has a major barrier against
theentomoculture industrygrowth.However,scientific
proves, growing interest and global challenges are
leading main regulators to changes. To this regard,
the EuropeanUnion can be seen as a pioneer, with
major recent changes in order to have insects as
food considered and regulated at theUnion level. In
October 2015, the European Food SafetyAuthority-
EFSA, which represents the scientific committee
advising theUnionon food regulations-wasofficially
reporting on the safety of insects. One month later,
the EU Novel Food Regulation, concerning the
introduction on the market of food products non-
significantly consumed before 1997 in the EU, was
revised toclearly take insects intoaccount.Moreover
theapplicationprocedure to request theauthorization
of a product has been centralized, preventing from
non-arbitrary judgementand reducing theprocessing
time, among other improvements.
And here we are: for January 2018, worldwide
stakeholders can get ready to submit a dossier.
However, it is not as straightforward as it may look:
whereas an application can now be directed to only
one contact point, i.e the European Commission, it
can take different formats:
•TheapplicationasageneralNovelFoodproduct,
with fullydetailedsafety requirementson theproduct
tobe introducedon themarket.
• The application as a traditional food from third
country,withashorterprocessing timebut aneed for
25 years data of safe consumption.
• The application through the current regulation,
which needs a submission to aMember State of the
EUwhere the product is consideredasNovel Food.
Inanycase, collaborationasanyapprovalwould
be beneficial to all stakeholders exporting a similar
product worldwide. One of the possible concerns
relieson thecoordinator andapplicant tobedefined,
who would have a responsibility to succeed for the
applicants he represents.
It is now expected that further collaboration will
take placewithworldwide actors to fully understand
the application requirements and try to collaborate
in an efficient manner. Whereas the EU regulation
updatemay not be the exact answer to the industry
today, it anyway provides strength and potential
growth to a booming industry in need of deeper
recognition.
AFFIA
As any new industry willing to develop on a fast
and sustainable manner, supports are required
in different possible forms, through investments,
research and development or regulation. However,
as cross-parameter, “one for all and all for one”
remains a valuable motto. Joining forces between
complementary stakeholders sharing similar
objectivesbringsat individualand international levels
confidence and strength.
The ASEAN Food and Feed Insect Association
(AFFIA) takes its roots in the lattermotivations. New
born (23
rd
ofAugust2016)group representingalready
11 founding members from the whole region and
more interestingactorswilling to join themovement, it
enablesefficientcollaborationbetween theResearch
and Industrial sectors for insects as foodand feed.
Itsexecutivecommitteewas latelyelectedand isnowconstitutedbyMassimoReverberi
as President, AnneDeguerry as Secretary, Dr.WasapornChanput as treasurer, Dr.Paijit
Sangchai as Vice president and Bart Verstappen as R&D coordinator. Following the
objectiveofpromoting the insectsas foodand feed industry inSouth-EastAsiaandbeyond
its regional borders, the committee will define an action plan for 2017 and has already
specificdiscussionon foodand feed recentEU regulationupdates, alsowith international
collaborators such as the International Platform for Insects as Food and Feed (IPIFF) in
theEU or theWovenNetwork, in theUnitedKingdom.
Coordinatedand co-launchedbyNathanPreteseille fromAETS consulting company,
the associationwas already represented in several events inBangkok such as the “The
ChefandTheBug” insects’ tastingevent, theconferenceon the “EUNovelFoodRegulation
and the special caseof insect” and the recent short courseon Insects asFoodandFeed
hostedbyKasetsartUniversity.All presentationspresentedduring theeventsandpictures
areavailableon theassociation’swebsiteatwww.affia.org. Theassociationwill behappy
to answer to any question sent to
.
