Qatar Bans Insect Food After EU Expands Menu

Qatar has reaffirmed a religious ban on eating insects after the European Union added new products to its list of approved foods.

Insect products do not meet “the requirements of the technical regulations for halal food”, Qatar’s health ministry said in a statement late on Thursday.

GCC regulations “and the religious opinion of the competent authorities” prohibit “the consumption of insects or proteins and supplements derived from them”, it added.

The announcement follows “the decision by some countries to allow the use of insects in food production”, Qatar said.

It did not identify the countries, but the EU Commission last month approved the larvae of the lesser mealworm – a type of beetle – and a product containing the house cricket for use in food.

Insects have long been a source of protein in communities around the world, but consumption has spread as pressure grows to find alternatives to meat and other foods associated with high levels of greenhouse gases.

The EU has now approved four insects as ‘novel foods’. Any products containing insects will have to be clearly labeled.

Academics say there is no clear ruling in Islamic law on whether insects can be eaten. Most say locusts are halal, or permissible because they are mentioned in the Koran. But many Islamic jurists reject other insects because they are considered unclean.

Qatar said food compliance with halal rules was checked by “Islamic bodies accredited by the ministry and through its internationally accredited laboratories”, which determine the source of protein in food.