Vietnam authorised to export insect-based food to EU

Vietnam has become the fifth nation in the world authorised by the European Union (EU) to export insect-based food to the demanding market, according to the Ministry of Industry and Trade’s Agency of Foreign Trade.

Under the European Commission (EC)’s Regulation (EU) 2021/171, Vietnam has provided sufficient evidence and guarantees to the EC’s Directorate-General for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) to be included in the list of third countries or regions authorised for the entry of consignment of insects into the EU market.

The regulation took effect on February 15, 2021.

Before Vietnam, Canada, Switzerland, the Republic of Korea and Thailand have also been granted the permission for their insect-based products, touted by nutritionists as the food of the future, to access the EU market.

The EU regulation is expected to provide a new engine for Vietnam’s food industry to expand further./.