Monitoring Desk
DOHA: Qatar has imposed a religious ban on consuming insect food in a move that comes after the European Union (EU) added new products to its list of approved foods.
Insect food does not meet “the requirements of halal food regulations,” the health ministry of Qatar said in a statement on Thursday.
Gulf Cooperation Council regulations “and the competent authorities’ religious opinion ban the consumption of protein or insects and supplements extracted from insects,” it added.
The ban follows “some countries’ decision to approve the use of insects for food consumption,” Qatar said.
Last month, it did not identify the countries, but the EU commission approved the larvae of the lesser mealworm- a beetle species- and a product containing the house cricket (Scientific name: Acheta domesticus) for use in food.
Use of insects for food and protein
Insects have long been used as a source of protein in communities around the world. Still, consumption has spread as pressure increases to find alternatives to meat and other foods linked with high levels of greenhouse gases.
The European Union has now approved four insects as “novel food.”
All food products containing insects must be clearly labelled.
Academics said there is no clear ruling in Islamic Sharia law on whether insects can be eaten.
Most academics said locusts are halal or allowed for food consumption, as they are mentioned in the Holy Qur’an.
However, several Islamic law scholars reject other insects as they are considered unclean.
Qatar said that food’s compliance with halal regulations was checked by “Islamic bodies accredited by the food ministry and through its international-accredited food laboratories” that determine the source of protein contained in food products.
