Boiling lobsters gets the boffins' all-clear

It's official - lobsters feel no pain when plunged into a pot of boiling water.

White coated boffins in Norway, a country which takes its seafood seriously, have given the thumbs-up to the traditional cooking method.

The team from the Norwegian School of Veterinary Science in Oslo was given the job of checking out a whole range of animal welfare issues, from keeping bees to baiting a fishhook, when the Norwegian government decided to update its cruelty-to-animals laws.

Their study of levels of pain, discomfort and stress in invertebrates concluded that the nervous systems of crabs and lobsters are too primitive for them to feel any pain from being popped into the pot.

The high pitched whistle, sometimes rather gruesomely called the 'lobster's scream', is actually the sound of air escaping from the shell.

The findings are welcome news to chefs including Don Cole, licensee of the Swan Inn at Barnby, Suffolk. The pub, current holder of the Seafood Pub of the Year title in the the Pub Food Awards​, does a roaring trade in shellfish.

"Some customers are a bit squeamish about seeing the live lobsters in the tank," said Don, "but at least it proves they're fresh, which is vital when it comes to seafood.

"As far as putting them in the pot goes, it's all over in a second. It's reassuring to have it confirmed that the lobsters don't feel anything, though."

As for the scientists' other findings, live bait is fine - apparently you can cut an earthworm in half, never mind sticking it on a hook, without causing it anything more than a little inconvenience. Bees, on the other hand, are complex, social creatures and need careful handling if you don't want to stress them out. Food for thought next time you open a jar of honey.