Edible Insects in Africa in Terms of Food, Wildlife Resource, and Pest Management Legislation
<b>: </b>Entomophagy is an ancient and actually African tradition that has been receiving renewed attention since edible insects have been identified as one of the solutions to improve global nutrition. As any other foodstuff, insects should be regulated by the government to ensure produ...
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doaj-62519c74e0284513ada6f29ee101af3a2020-11-25T02:22:44ZengMDPI AGFoods2304-81582020-04-01950250210.3390/foods9040502Edible Insects in Africa in Terms of Food, Wildlife Resource, and Pest Management LegislationNils Th. Grabowski0Séverin Tchibozo1Amir Abdulmawjood2Fatma Acheuk3Meriem M’Saad Guerfali4Waheed A.A. Sayed5Madeleine Plötz6Institute for Food Quality and Food Safety, Hannover University of Veterinary Medicine, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, GermanyResearch Centre for Biodiversity Management, 04 B.P., Cotonou BJ-0385, BeninInstitute for Food Quality and Food Safety, Research Center for Emerging Infections and Zoonoses (RIZ), Hannover University of Veterinary Medicine, Foundation, Bünteweg 2, D-30559 Hannover, GermanyLaboratory of Valorization and Conservation of Biological Resources, University of M’Hamed Bougara of Boumerdes, Avenue de l’indépendance, Boumerdès DZ-35000, AlgeriaLaboratory of Biotechnology and Nuclear Technologies LR16CNSTN01, National Centre for Nuclear Sciences and Technology, Technopole de Sidi Thabet, Sidi Thabet T-2020, TunisiaBiological Application Department, Nuclear Research Centre, Atomic Energy Authority, Cairo ET-11787, EgyptInstitute for Food Quality and Food Safety, Hannover University of Veterinary Medicine, Foundation, Bischofsholer Damm 15, D-30173 Hannover, Germany<b>: </b>Entomophagy is an ancient and actually African tradition that has been receiving renewed attention since edible insects have been identified as one of the solutions to improve global nutrition. As any other foodstuff, insects should be regulated by the government to ensure product quality and consumer safety. The goal of the present paper was to assess the current legal status of edible insects in Africa. For that, corresponding authorities were contacted along with an extensive online search, relying mostly on the FAOLEX database. Except for Botswana, insects are not mentioned in national regulations, although the definitions for “foodstuff” allow their inclusion, i.e., general food law can also apply to insects. Contacted authorities tolerated entomophagy, even though no legal base existed. However, insects typically appear in laws pertaining the use of natural resources, making a permit necessary (in most cases). Pest management regulation can also refer to edible species, e.g., locusts or weevils. Farming is an option that should be assessed carefully. All this creates a complex, nation-specific situation regarding which insect may be used legally to what purpose. Recommendations for elements in future insect-related regulations from the food hygiene point of view are provided.https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/4/502entomophagyfood lawAfricafood hygienefood policy |
collection |
DOAJ |
language |
English |
format |
Article |
sources |
DOAJ |
author |
Nils Th. Grabowski Séverin Tchibozo Amir Abdulmawjood Fatma Acheuk Meriem M’Saad Guerfali Waheed A.A. Sayed Madeleine Plötz |
spellingShingle |
Nils Th. Grabowski Séverin Tchibozo Amir Abdulmawjood Fatma Acheuk Meriem M’Saad Guerfali Waheed A.A. Sayed Madeleine Plötz Edible Insects in Africa in Terms of Food, Wildlife Resource, and Pest Management Legislation Foods entomophagy food law Africa food hygiene food policy |
author_facet |
Nils Th. Grabowski Séverin Tchibozo Amir Abdulmawjood Fatma Acheuk Meriem M’Saad Guerfali Waheed A.A. Sayed Madeleine Plötz |
author_sort |
Nils Th. Grabowski |
title |
Edible Insects in Africa in Terms of Food, Wildlife Resource, and Pest Management Legislation |
title_short |
Edible Insects in Africa in Terms of Food, Wildlife Resource, and Pest Management Legislation |
title_full |
Edible Insects in Africa in Terms of Food, Wildlife Resource, and Pest Management Legislation |
title_fullStr |
Edible Insects in Africa in Terms of Food, Wildlife Resource, and Pest Management Legislation |
title_full_unstemmed |
Edible Insects in Africa in Terms of Food, Wildlife Resource, and Pest Management Legislation |
title_sort |
edible insects in africa in terms of food, wildlife resource, and pest management legislation |
publisher |
MDPI AG |
series |
Foods |
issn |
2304-8158 |
publishDate |
2020-04-01 |
description |
<b>: </b>Entomophagy is an ancient and actually African tradition that has been receiving renewed attention since edible insects have been identified as one of the solutions to improve global nutrition. As any other foodstuff, insects should be regulated by the government to ensure product quality and consumer safety. The goal of the present paper was to assess the current legal status of edible insects in Africa. For that, corresponding authorities were contacted along with an extensive online search, relying mostly on the FAOLEX database. Except for Botswana, insects are not mentioned in national regulations, although the definitions for “foodstuff” allow their inclusion, i.e., general food law can also apply to insects. Contacted authorities tolerated entomophagy, even though no legal base existed. However, insects typically appear in laws pertaining the use of natural resources, making a permit necessary (in most cases). Pest management regulation can also refer to edible species, e.g., locusts or weevils. Farming is an option that should be assessed carefully. All this creates a complex, nation-specific situation regarding which insect may be used legally to what purpose. Recommendations for elements in future insect-related regulations from the food hygiene point of view are provided. |
topic |
entomophagy food law Africa food hygiene food policy |
url |
https://www.mdpi.com/2304-8158/9/4/502 |
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