Singapore approves 16 insect species as food
Singapore has officially approved 16 insect species as food, including locusts, crickets and silkworms.
The authorities hope this will provide impetus for the still nascent insect industry and are aligning themselves with international standards.
«These insects and insect products can be used for human consumption or as feed for animals used in food production,» states a circular issued by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).
The authority had already initiated consultations on regulation in 2022. Guidelines for companies wishing to import, breed or further process insects were important, «as the insect industry is still in its infancy and insects represent a novel food,» broadcaster Channel News Asia (CNA) quoted from the document.
No insects from the wild permitted
Among other requirements, it must be ensured that no harmful substances are used in breeding and processing, that insects are bred in regulated facilities and that they are not caught in the wild. Since no international standards exist as yet, the authority had oriented its decisions on countries and regions that already permit the consumption of certain insects, it was stated.
Among others, the European Union, Thailand, South Korea and Australia have already approved the consumption of certain insect species that meet specific nutritional criteria. In Thailand, food stalls selling bamboo worms, scorpions or beetles have long been part of everyday life. In the EU, mealworms (dried in larval stage), migratory locusts, house crickets and lesser mealworms are currently approved, all of which are mostly further processed in powder form.
The Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) supports the breeding of insects for human consumption and as animal feed: “Edible insects contain high-quality proteins, vitamins and amino acids for humans,” states the UN agency's website. Crickets require about six times less feed than cattle, four times less than sheep, and half as much as pigs and broiler chickens to produce the same amount of protein.
| You can help all animals and our planet with compassion. Choose compassion on your plate and in your glass. Go vegan. |
