In Northwest Europe, companies looking to develop insect-based foods can apply for grants. The European ValuSect (Valuable Insects) consortium is offering forty grants, worth €10,000 ($11,800), €20,000 ($23,600) or €40,000 ($47,300) in service vouchers, over three years, starting December 1.
“Consumers’ appetite for insects in Europe is slowly positively evolving, as there is more and more awareness on the need to find sustainable sources of proteins,” Hélène Herman, communication officer at ValuSect, tells FoodIngredientsFirst. “European consumers are becoming aware of the impact of their food consumption on the planet. Insects have a lot of interesting nutritional aspects, with a low environmental impact, which is why it is one of the solutions to feed Europe in the future.”
ValuSect services include technology, food innovation, consumer acceptance and strategic business services.
“The most popular insects developed in Europe would be crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms and black soldier flies,” Herman adds. “Our project covers the first three species. They all have a novel food dossier introduced by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), and thus a potential future of commercialization in Europe.”