K A S H R U T . C O M_©

July 9, 2024 from the Food Ingredients First:

"Singapore has approved the use of 16 insects as food and developed an insect regulatory framework to ensure food safety. Insects declared safe for human consumption include house crickets, grasshoppers, mealworms, locusts and silk moths, among others (at different life stages). Singapore’s low agricultural production means it has a high dependency (90%) on food imports, which this regulation aims to reduce.

"Food traders need to follow specific SFA guidelines and provide information to the organization for all imports of insects and insect products for human consumption to ensure their safe use in foods.

"These include the scientific name of insects and intended life stage of consumption, details of the farming and processing method, including the type of substrate (i.e. material used for feeding insects) and evidence of history of use as a food in a country other than Singapore.

"Companies selling pre-packaged food, including those containing insects as an ingredient, must label the product packaging to indicate the product’s true nature, asserts the SFA."