昆蟲應用於食品與飼料之國外相關法規回顧

Abstract

昆蟲具有食品及替代飼料的潛力，但除大量生產降低成本外，產品安全是說服人們接受的首要條件，而產品安全是需要建立在以法律規範的基礎上。然而目前各國間有關以昆蟲為食品或飼料的管理規則變異極大。明確的管理規則能使生產廠商有所遵循，使民眾瞭解狀況，吃的放心。歐盟2021年正式許可麵包蟲 (Tenebrio molitor L.) 為食品，開啟了以昆蟲為食的希望之路。為瞭解各國間對昆蟲應用於食品與飼料之相關法規現況，將有助於昆蟲資源的正確及永續利用。 Insects are potential resources for human consumption and animal feed. Besides reducing costs in mass production, the first requisite for customer persuasion is product safety. Legal rules are the basis of product safety. Legal rules on the use of insects as feed and food vary across the world. Precise rules give not only the straightforward guidelines to manufacturers but also safety to customers. The European Commission has approved the consumption of dried Tenebrio molitor larva in the EU in 2021. This is the first time that an insect has been approved as a novel food in the EU. It represents the path of hope for the insect as food in the future. Understanding legal rules among nations facilitate sustainable management of insect for food and feed.