Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what assessment he has made of the implications for his policies of the request from the Woven Network for a transitional arrangement pending implementation in the UK of the EU Novel Food regulations; and if he will make a statement.

The Woven Network promotes the sale of edible insects for human consumption. European Union law provided for a period of transition for insect products to allow time for applications for these novel foods to be submitted and an EU decision on authorisation. No decisions were made before the end of the Transition Period, so no insects are currently authorised in Great Britain. The Food Standards Agency (FSA), as the policy owner for novel foods, is considering options on insects, including those proposed by the Woven Network pending an authorisation under national law. A decision on next steps will be made in due course. In the meantime, the FSA welcomes new applications for edible insects under the novel foods pre-market authorisation process.