No evidence Tyson Foods received FDA approval to add insects to human food | Fact check
The claim: FDA approved use of insects in human food by Tyson Foods
An April 24 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) shows the Tyson Foods logo next to an image of mealworms.
"F.D.A. approved bugs," reads the post, which also includes a list of Tyson-owned brands. "Read your labels."
The post was shared more than 40,000 times in less than three weeks.
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Our rating: False
There is no evidence Tyson Foods has started putting insects in food meant for humans, and the Food and Drug Administration doesn't have specific regulations related to the use of insects in food.
No evidence Tyson has started adding insects to human food
In October 2023, Tyson announced it was investing in Protix, an insect ingredients company, and agreed to jointly build what it called an "insect ingredient facility" to produce "high-quality insect proteins and lipids" using byproducts from food manufacturing, according to a news release.
That facility will use animal waste to feed black soldier flies, which will be made into food for pets, poultry and fish. The insects won't be used as ingredients in any human food, as USA TODAY previously reported.
Nothing in any of the statements released by the two companies since that partnership was announced indicates Tyson has started putting insects in human food, nor is there any evidence it got federal approval to do so.
Tyson did not respond to a request for comment from USA TODAY. John R. Tyson, the company's chief financial officer, told CNN in October 2023, it is "focused on more of (an) ingredient application with insect protein than we are a consumer application."
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The FDA does not have any specific regulations related to the use of insects or insect-derived ingredients, Enrico Dinges, a spokesperson for the agency, told USA TODAY.
As a result, insects used as food must comply with the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, which requires food be safe and "not bear any added poisonous or added deleterious substance that is unsafe," Dinges said. It also requires that the ingredients "be declared in the ingredient statement on the label of the food by their common or usual names."
The labels for all of the products produced by the brands listed in the post are available on their websites: Hillshire Farm, Sara Lee, Jimmy Dean, Ballpark, Gallo, State Fair, Original Philly and Steak-EZE. The only exception is Pierre, which does not appear to have a functioning website.
The practice of eating insects, known as entomophagy, is only starting to become a trend in the U.S., but it's a well-established tradition in other parts of the world. There are ecological benefits too – raising insects produces less greenhouse gases and uses less water and space than raising cows, chickens and pigs.
USA TODAY reached out to the social media user who shared the post for comment but did not immediately receive a response.
Our fact-check sources:
Enrico Dinges, May 8, Email exchange with USA TODAY
Tyson Foods, Oct. 17, 2023, Tyson Foods Announces Partnership with Protix for More Sustainable Protein Production
Tyson Foods, accessed May 9, News Releases
Protix, Oct. 17, 2023, Tyson Foods & Protix join forces
Protix, accessed May 9, Newsroom
CNN, Oct. 20, 2023, Tyson Foods, one of the biggest meat producers, is investing in insect protein
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: No evidence FDA approved insects in Tyson products | Fact check
