Insects in Food

Question

in leviticus 11:41, we are told, “and every swarming thing that swarms upon the earth is a detestable thing; it shall not be eaten.”
any food known to be subject to insect infestation, therefore, cannot be eaten until the insects have been removed.
so, there’s a prohibition against eating insects.
now, more and more processed food has added insects or part of insects in them — and you can read in the newspapers that we should eat insects, they claim insects being nuitricious.
if i got the rabbis right we also should check food bevor preparing it.
how do i avoid insects in my food — or is it allowed to eat food that contains a small amount of insects?

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Answers

  1. The Just Ask! - AskTheRabbi.org Team

    It is prohibited for Jews to eat insects. That is one of the (many) reasons why Jews should only eat foods that have been certified as Kosher by a reputable Kashrut organization – especially processed foods. If the food has Kashrut certification it is usually an indication that there are no bugs in the food – unless the certification states the need to check for bugs.

    Best wishes from the AskTheRabbi.org Team