Hanoi (VNA) – The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) on July 8 approved some 16 species of insects for human consumption.
The insects include various species of crickets, mealworms, grasshoppers, locusts and silkworms.
The nod comes after delays in granting approval for insect-based food by SFA. In December 2022, the statutory board sought public feedback on the regulation of insects and insect products.
In April 2023, it announced that 16 species of insects would be approved for human consumption. However, approval was not granted then. At the end of January, SFA said it aimed to introduce the regulatory framework in the first half of 2024.
Ahead of the approval, some restaurants and bars have started preparing a range of dishes with insects among the ingredients.
They include sustainable gastrobar Fura, which has insect-based food and drink items listed on its menu as “coming soon”. Similarly, local Chinese restaurant chain House of Seafood also said it intends to roll out 30 dishes featuring insects at its Punggol outlet once SFA gives the green light./.
