The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is set to approve 16 species of insects for human consumption in Singapore in the second half of this year, according to The Straits Times.
They had previously held a public consultation exercise back in October last year to gather feedback on the move, and they received 53 responses.
SFA is set to go ahead and approve 16 species of insects for human consumption, with the full list of insects being:
SFA’s previous press release
CONSULTATION ON REGULATION OF INSECT AND INSECT PRODUCTS (IMPORTS AND LOCALLY FARMED/PROCESSED)
Aim
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) is seeking feedback from the food and animal feed industry, as well as interested parties, on the proposal to allow insects for human consumption and as animal feed, subject to specific food safety requirements and conditions. This applies to both imported, as well as locally farmed and processed insects.
Background
The import and sale of insects as food for human consumption is presently not allowed, while the import and sale of animal feed containing insects is currently permitted under the Feeding Stuffs Act (FSA). SFA currently permits only approved substrates for use (mainly homogenous plant-based waste) on insects for animal
feed.
The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has completed a review of the regulatory position for insects and insect products. With this, SFA will permit the import and sale of insects and insect products for human consumption and animal feed, subject to the import conditions (paragraph 6) for imports, and additional pre-licensing requirements (paragraphs 7 and 8) for local farming and processing of insects and insect products.
These changes will allow industry more flexibility to produce insects in a safe and sustainable way, particularly in the range of substrates which can be used. Consumers would also have access to safe insect food products.
Presently, there are no international standards set by the Codex Alimentarius Commission or the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH) for insects as food or animal feed. SFA’s proposed import conditions and additional pre-licensing requirements for farming and processing in Singapore are based on four identified key
points to ensure safety of the insects and insect products:
a. Species of insect is safe for human consumption
b. Prevent the introduction of diseases and contaminants
c. Substrate used must not impart contaminants to the insects
d. The final product is safe for consumption