When the North American Edible Insect Coalition had its first meeting, in Detroit in May, many observers speculated that the newly formed group of cricket-chomping enthusiasts was set to swarm Washington. Several news outlets reported that insects, which aren’t explicitly listed on the Food and Drug Administration’s registry of foods recognized as safe, would soon have lobbyists fighting to put them there.
It’s a nice story: The plucky little guys who had spent years trying to persuade their compatriots to get over the ick factor and turn to insects for protein had grown enough to make their case to the FDA.
But as the group of 30 or so organizations prepared this fall to elect a board of directors (results to be announced early next year), members said they’d stopped worrying so much about the FDA.