Reduction in pesticide use means that is more difficult to banish insects, mites and worms from crops.
The table below gives examples of the maximum permissible level of contamination for common foodstuffs, according to EU. So next time you sit down for a meal, have a look at your plate – maybe a diet including locusts and crickets is not such a huge departure after all.
Product
Type of insect contamination
Maximum permissible level
Canned sweet corn
Insect larvae
2 or more 3mm or longer larvae, cast skins, larval or cast skin fragments
Canned citrus fruit juices
Insects and insect eggs
5 or more Drosophila and other fly eggs per 250ml or 1 or more maggots per 250ml
Frozen broccoli
Insects and mites
Average of 60 or more aphids and/or thrips and/or mites per 100 grams
Hops
Insects
Average of more than 2500 aphids per 10 grams
Ground thyme
Insect filth
Average of 925 or more insect fragments
Peanut butter
Insect filth
Average of 30 or more insect fragments per 100 grams
Wheat flour
Insect filth
Average of 150 or more insect fragments per 100 grams
These are tough times for chefs and restaurant professionals around the world, but there has never been a better time to seek advice and help around a number of topics affecting hospitality workers. Here's a round-up of some of the most useful resources for chefs.
Mauro Colagreco will be taking the World's Best Restaurant to the Mandala Club in Singapore for a three-month residency, from 14 May to 11 August. Find out more.
Can chocolate go off or go bad? And what do the white bits on old chocolate mean? Here's all you need to know about chocolate expiry dates and whether it's safe to eat chocolate past it's printed date.
In the second of our Beyond the Line series, Fine Dining Lovers speaks to a former student of the Basque Culinary Center in San Sebastian, Spain, about his career choices beyond restaurant kitchens.
