Singapore approved insects as food, but can consumers stomach it?

Last Updated on July 11, 2024 4:09 pm

By Jean Iau

Singapore has approved 16 species of insects for human consumption, but experts and industry players say it may be difficult to persuade people to add creepy crawlies to their meal plan.

On Monday, the Singapore Food Agency announced that it allowed the import of insects and insect products, which pose “low regulatory concern”. The list of approved species includes various types of crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, locusts, and silkworms.

The food agency said those planning to import or farm insects for human consumption must meet guidelines, which include providing documentary proof that the products are manufactured in regulated facilities with food safety controls and are not harvested from the wild.

The decision to approve these insects for consumption aligns with the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation’s promotion of insect farming for human consumption and animal feed. Edible insects have high nutrient content, require less feed and emit less greenhouse gases than traditional livestock farming.

Singapore, which imports most of its food, hopes to meet its “30 by 30” goal, which involves locally producing 30 per cent of its nutritional needs by 2030. This initiative aims to reduce the city state’s dependence on food imports and mitigate potential supply disruptions.

Food scientist Tan Sze Sze praised the move as a significant step in strengthening the country’s food security.

“It further diversifies the food choices available. Moreover, since insect farming requires less land and fewer resources, it could be a viable farming option in land-scarce Singapore,” said Tan.

Experts who spoke to This Week in Asia noted that while insects are known to be a good source of protein, getting Singaporeans to include them in their diet comes with challenges.

Keri Matwick, who studies food media discourse and is a senior lecturer at Nanyang Technological University, noted that public reception has been quite negative, which is in contrast to neighbouring Thailand and Vietnam where insects are commonly featured as street food.
“Insects need to be delicious in order for them to become a mainstay in regular diets. Even if we know that insects are nutritious, like vegetables, that doesn’t mean that we’ll eat them,” she said.

Founder of The Sundowner Nature Experience Centre Clarence Chua, who runs an Eat Some Bugs experience, said demand for the insect-based food experience has been low. Just one group has signed up since the initiative was launched six months ago.

“Eating bugs in their whole form is something that just doesn’t appeal to our culture. I guess insects would be more palatable to consumers if they were powderised and incorporated into other foods as a protein supplement,” Chua said.

Local producer Altimate Nutrition, which has been taking pre-orders for protein bars made with cricket powder, is one of a few suppliers who remained in business while waiting for the Singapore Food Agency’s approval, which was delayed from late 2023.

Altimate Nutrition co-founder, Gavriel Tan, said his company spent the waiting period educating some 2,000 students about the benefits of consuming insects through tie-ups with the education ministry and Science Centre Singapore.

During the Insects Feed The World Conference last month, the company worked with Chinese restaurant chain TungLok Group to come up with a menu that included braised noodles with stir-fried crickets and silkworms, a bun sandwich with cricket and ginger flower and churros with cricket powder sugar.

With the approval, Tan said the company will need time to secure its licence before it can deliver on about 50 pre-orders. Aside from individual buyers, restaurants, bars and distributors have reached out to add insect-based food to their offerings.

“It’s about getting people past the initial barrier of fear, and that’s how we’re hoping to get recurring customers. Rather than just focusing on being novelty driven, we focus more on being value-driven, which you get in the nutritional aspect of our protein bars,” Tan said.

Entomologist and Curator of Cryogenic Collection and Entomological Collection at Lee Kong Chian Natural History Museum Foo Maosheng, who is also an advocate for entomophagy, or the consumption of insects, said the disgust for eating insects comes from misconceptions.

“It probably started in the kitchen where insects are seen as pests – be it ruining food or causing health problems due to the potential germs they carry,” said Foo, who has also been educating students on edible insects.

He noted that some people are more convinced when they do not see the insect, and find out later that they have unknowingly eaten food of insect origin. This includes carmine, which is used in red food colouring and made from crushed cochineal bugs.

“There is a barrier that needs to be overcome; fear and disgust. It starts with being open to learning about insects … I believe once edible insects hit the shelves, and people are more informed about it, people will start incorporating them into their daily diet,” he added.