Ice cream parlor nixes cicada flavor

COLUMBIA, Mo., June 8 (UPI) -- Health officials in Missouri said an ice cream parlor will no longer be offering cicada-flavored ice cream after the owners were "advised against it."

Sparky's Homemade Ice Cream in Columbia quickly sold out of the first batch of the ice cream, which contained cooked cicadas, and canceled plans for a second batch after consulting the Columbia/Boone County Department of Public Health and Human Services, The (Columbia) Missourian reported Wednesday.

"The food code doesn't directly address cicadas," said Gerry Worley, environmental health manager for the department. "We advised against it."

The ice cream parlor posted a sign saying the cicada ice cream will return when the insects next surface in 2024.