June 2 (UPI) — The U.S. Food and Drug Administration issued a warning for those interested in sampling cuisine containing Brood X cicadas: Stay away if you’re allergic to seafood.
The FDA tweeted Wednesday that people with allergies to seafood should steer clear of eating cicadas because of their relation to sea creatures.
“We have to say it,” the FDA tweeted. “Don’t eat #cicadas if you’re allergic to seafood as these insects share a family relation to shrimp and lobsters.”
The Brood X cicadas, which emerge every 17 years, surfaced this month in several states, including Pennsylvania, Virginia, Indiana and Tennessee. The plentiful insects have inspired a number of culinary creations that use the cicadas as a main ingredient.