Locusts or beetles will not end up on the plates in Qatar. This Gulf country, with a Muslim majority, indeed reaffirmed on Thursday the prohibition by religion to consume insects.
The insect-based products do not meet “the requirements of the technical standards of halal food”, authorized for Muslims, said the Qatari Ministry of Health. It specifies that the regulations of the Gulf Cooperation Council “and the religious opinion of the competent authorities” prohibit “the consumption of insects or proteins and supplements extracted from them”.
An inexpensive source of protein
According to the ministry, this announcement follows “the decision of some countries to approve the use of insects in food production”. Qatar did not name the countries in question, but the European Commission in January approved the use of mealworms, also known as mealworms, and a product containing the house locust in food. . The EU has now approved four insects as ‘novel foods’. However, all products containing insects must be clearly labelled.
Insects have long been an inexpensive source of protein for some communities around the world, and their consumption has expanded due to growing pressure to find alternatives to meat and other foods associated with high levels. of greenhouse gases.
Islam does not clearly prohibit the eating of insects, according to Muslim theologians. Most of them even believe that locusts are halal or permitted, as they are mentioned in the Quran, but many Muslim theologians reject other insects as they are considered unclean.