FDA: Don’t eat cicadas if you’re allergic to seafood

WASHINGTON, D.C. (FOX19) - Have a seafood allergy? Then you might want to think twice about eating a cicada.

The ubiquitous critters are all the rage right now, and apparently some people even fancy them as a snack. But the Food and Drug Administration on Wednesday issued a warning not to eat them if you’re allergic to seafood.

“We have to say it,” the FDA said in a tweet. “Don’t eat #cicadas if you’re allergic to seafood as these insects share a family relation to shrimp and lobsters.”

The Brood X bugs emerged in May in the Midwest and East Coast.

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, cicadas generally aren’t harmful to humans or pets.

But the FDA said in a tweet last month the “crunchy/crispy exoskeleton” of cicadas can irritate the stomach lining if eaten in large volumes and can be a potential choking hazard, especially for small dogs.

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