On 5 October 2026 the NDA Panel published Safety of frozen paste from blanched, whole migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, EFSA Journal 2026;24(10), doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10317. Crossref records creation at 09:30 UTC that day. The text is a scientific opinion requested by the Commission. It is not a regulation and it does not amend the Union list.
The source is farmed sub-adult insects. They are blanched, wet-ground into a paste, packed and stored frozen. The main components are water, proteins, fats and dietary fibre, including chitin. The Panel sees no stability concern if the batch meets the proposed specification throughout shelf-life. Contaminants track the feed.
The only composition figure in the deposited abstract is protein: 13.8–14.8 g/100 g using a nitrogen-to-protein factor of 6.25. The Panel states that true protein is lower, because chitin supplies non-protein nitrogen. That factor must not be copied onto a nutrition claim or onto a comparison with an already authorised powder.
Paste versus forms already authorised
| Point | 2021 forms | Paste in e10317 |
|---|---|---|
| Instrument | Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1975, after 10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6667 (2 July 2021) | NDA opinion of 5 October 2026, volume 24, issue 10. No amending act yet. |
| Form | Frozen, dried and powder Locusta migratoria | Frozen paste from blanched whole sub-adults, wet-ground |
| Protein in the abstract | Outside this note | 13.8–14.8 g/100 g at N×6.25; chitin inflates the figure |
| Panel conclusion | Safe under the assessed uses; basis for the listing | Safe under the proposed uses and use levels; consumption is not nutritionally disadvantageous |
| Allergenicity | Primary sensitisation and cross-reactivity; 2021/1975 did not add a primary-sensitisation warning | Primary sensitisation to L. migratoria proteins; reactions in people allergic to crustaceans, mites and molluscs; feed allergens may remain |
| Operator consequence | Union-list entry, with the labelling conditions of the act | Until 2017/2470 is amended, the paste is not the same ingredient as the 2021/1975 forms |
Use levels from the dossier tables are not in the Crossref abstract. The Wiley full text was not machine-readable when this note was written. Doses that are not in the cited abstract are not repeated here. The operator reads the opinion tables before matching a recipe to the application.
Glossary
- Novel food
- A food under Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. Placing on the market needs an authorisation and an entry in Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470. An EFSA opinion does not make that entry.
- Locusta migratoria
- Migratory locust. Frozen, dried and powder forms are already listed after Regulation 2021/1975. Paste from blanched whole insects is a separate subject of opinion e10317.
- N×6.25
- The nitrogen-to-protein factor used in the abstract. With chitin it overstates true protein. It is not a value for a Regulation 1169/2011 claim without a separate check.
What to do with the opinion
- Check whether the batch is frozen paste from blanched whole sub-adults, or a form already listed by Regulation 2021/1975. A different form is a different status.
- Do not calculate label protein with the 6.25 factor merely because the Panel used it. The abstract says chitin inflates the 13.8–14.8 g/100 g figure.
- Do not treat “safe under the proposed uses and use levels” as an authorisation. The Commission writes the 2017/2470 entry.
- Keep feed and allergens in the file: crustaceans, mites, molluscs, and primary sensitisation. That finding is not a health claim.
- Do not file a national notification as if the paste were an ordinary supplement ingredient. Until the list changes, the path is Regulation 2015/2283.
Sources
EFSA Panel on Nutrition, Novel Foods and Food Allergens (NDA), Turck et al., Safety of frozen paste from blanched, whole migratory locust (Locusta migratoria) as a novel food pursuant to Regulation (EU) 2015/2283, EFSA Journal 2026;24(10), published 5 October 2026, doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2026.10317. Earlier opinion on frozen, dried and powder forms: doi:10.2903/j.efsa.2021.6667. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2021/1975. Regulation (EU) 2015/2283. Implementing Regulation (EU) 2017/2470.
This note is not legal advice in an individual case. Entities: Supplemental.pl is the law practice; FOODLAW.ai is the tool layer; C.L.A.I.M.S. searches 2318 claims (2078 on-hold SANCO/11074/2013 plus 240 from Regulation 432/2012) and is not a Commission register.