Recently, Brine and I noticed a news release that lesser meal worms had been approved as a food in the European Union ( read more ). House crickets had also been approved earlier in the same month. This information made me search to better understand how the commercial food supply is changing.
I checked into possible issues about eating insects. Here are some basic concerns some researchers came up with in 2015. In addition, it is not clear what they are feeding the edible insects? They have such a short life cycle whatever they eat really matters and will be part of our intake. So far most insect ingredients are being added for their protein content, which makes me think any vegetarian or vegan processed food will easily have insect ingredients in the near future as insects are not considered to be animals. Apparently none of the foods that contain insects will need to plainly state it contains insects. The labels will have the latin name for the insect ingredient which can easily be lost in the list of ingredients of any processed food, so if your preference is to not eat insects you might want to educate yourself on their scientific names.
Health Canada has been assessing the safety of GMO ( genetically modified organism ) foods ( and approving them for market ) since the early 2000’s. Health Canada has not had any mandatory regulations that a label must state that a food is or contains ingredients that are GM or Novel. Health Canada basically states that once their scientists feel confident that a food is safe and nutritious; they see it as equivalent to foods already on the market; it does not need special labeling ( read more ). My concern is that even if a new food has been shown to be safe in the short term, what is the long term or combined effect of eating more than one of these foods on health?
I found on the Health Canada website the “Completed safety assessments of novel foods including genetically modified (GM) foods” list. All of these foods are now on the market. You might want to take a few minutes to check out some of the patented foods and why they were created. One example is Event EF2-114 Pineapple, created by Del Monte, which is a pineapple with pink flesh instead of yellow. Another is the Arctic Fuji Apple Event NF872, created by Okanagan specialty fruits, which is an apple that won’t brown when cut. I personally find having the word Event being used as part of the name of a food, disturbing.
Brine and I endeavour to make careful and discerning food choices. For us, the above information has been making us look differently at the treat and convenience foods that we might consider as a reward … like sour cream and onion potato chips. This is a good reason to support your local farmer’s marketand to grow more of your own food. There are a few Nova Scotian seed saving providers such as Annapolis Seeds. This year, we purchased many new seeds varieties for grain growing from Salt Spring Seeds. You can buy more of your dry goods from Speerville Flour Mill, where 99% that they carry is organic and locally grown. We love that you can buy in bulk with friends or family to conserve more of your money.
If you are going to eat GMO, Insects, and Novel Foods .… we hope you feel it best to be informed.