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Hungary Mandates Labeling Practices for Insect-based Foods

Food

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Hungary's Agriculture Ministry has changed rules to require food containing insect protein to be clearly labeled and sold only on designated shelf space, Agriculture Minister István Nagy said on Wednesday, according to a report by state news wire MTI.

Consumers must be able to "distinguish and differentiate" products with insect protein under the new rules.

Nagy noted that the European Commission has already approved four insects as commercial food sources, a decision Hungary alone opposed, as the European Union is faced with neither a food nor a protein shortage.

Surveys and research show that "Hungarians don't want to eat insects", he added.

He cited a survey by food safety authority Nébih indicating over 70% of Hungarians "strongly reject the possibility" of eating food containing insect protein.

He also pointed to the importance of preserving gastronomic traditions.

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