KUALA LUMPUR – Crickets and grasshoppers in mainstream menus in Singapore? Not so fast – as the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) has yet to approve the sale of insects as food.
An SFA spokesperson told The Straits Times that the agency “will announce the date of effect in due course” as it is finalising some details.
“We are also aware of some interest from food business operators on the import of insect and insect products as food and will continue to engage them to provide relevant assistance.”
In April last year, SFA was considering 16 species of insects for human consumption by year end, following the footsteps of the European Union, Australia, New Zealand, South Korea and Thailand.
This spurred at least four companies – Future Protein Solutions, Asia Insect Farm Solutions, Fura, and Altimate Nutrition – to invest in the insect protein market.
Not all of their products are straight-up insects on a plate. Some have developed items such as cricket flour for baking and protein bars.
With SFA delaying its approval, the future of these companies remains uncertain. – January 22, 2024