Fancy some crispy crickets on sushi rolls? Singapore to approve insects for food as early as July

[DOBIEMKZ]

Fancy some crispy crickets on sushi rolls? Singapore to approve insects for food as early as July

26 Jun 2024 09:32AM(Updated: 26 Jun 2024 10:08AM)

https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/insects-food-restaurants-farms-crickets-sfa-approve-consumption-july-4436021?cid=FBcna&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR111dbQUZ_ysAHZ9NsywYM4hj61y0u5XvrIlmNtJE3aS-ysbRW1KSplLn8_aem_OnWcX-lPIIKQZezpEBplwA

Fancy some crispy crickets on your sushi rolls? (Photo: Rebecca Metteo/CNA)

SINGAPORE: From glutinous rice balls crowned with juicy silkworms to crispy crickets sitting on sushi rolls, diners here may soon get to feast on creepy crawlies in dining establishments. 

Singapore could be allowing the sale of certain insects as food as early as next month, restaurants and potential farms which have been informed on the latest development told CNA. 

The approvals for the sale of insects for human consumption have been delayed for more than a year.  

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) first conducted a public consultation on the regulation of insects and insect products in end-2022. In April last year, the agency said that 16 species of insects, such as crickets, silkworms and grasshoppers, would receive the green light for consumption in the second half of 2023. 

Earlier this year, SFA, in a forum letter reply in The Straits Times, said it is finalising the implementation details and aims to introduce a regulatory framework in the first half of this year.

“As the insect industry is nascent and insects are a new food item here, it is necessary for SFA to put in place the regulatory levers before insects are approved as food to safeguard food safety, and more time is needed to establish the required regulations and implementation plan,” the letter added. 

“We will work closely with food business operators to ensure that they are able to meet SFA’s regulatory requirements before insects and insect products are permitted for sale as food for human consumption in Singapore.”

CNA understands that legislation is also likely to be tabled in parliament soon.

ENSURING INSECTS ARE SAFE FOR CONSUMPTION 

Meanwhile, at restaurant House of Seafood, chefs are getting used to working with bugs as ingredients and ensuring they are safe to eat. 

House of Seafood CEO Francis Ng said this involves thorough cleaning. 

“(The first step for our chefs is to) do a cleaning, after that they will toast them in the oven,” he added. “(A small little brush would be used) to clean piece by piece.” 

Some of these hygiene protocols follow a set of interim guidelines for handling and rearing insects for food, which was first published in 2022 when the government first mooted the idea of allowing insects as food.  

Insect suppliers said they have been briefed by the SFA. 

“In the past few days, we have engaged with them as well, and they told us that it will happen very soon,” said Mr Hiew Yuen Sheng, director and co-founder of Altimate Nutrition, a local start-up creating food products from insects. 

“They told us in the past few days that it's going to happen, like rest assured and no more delays.” 

[inlinesix]

Last week, there was a conference by Insects to feed the world

[13177]

Such insect food can be easily find in some other countries. Seems like sg is quite late on this liao. Lol.

[mersaylee]

Times are really really bad...小强 anyone? Hearsay that's the elixir emperor Qin was looking for...😅

[DOBIEMKZ]

On 6/26/2024 at 12:59 PM, mersaylee said:

Times are really really bad...小强 anyone? Hearsay that's the elixir emperor Qin was looking for...😅

He was misled. That would be Sakura konjiac jelly. 

[Stratovarius]

On 6/26/2024 at 12:59 PM, mersaylee said:

Times are really really bad...小强 anyone? Hearsay that's the elixir emperor Qin was looking for...😅

Really? No wonder tang bo hu was devastated when he was crushed.

[mersaylee]

On 6/26/2024 at 1:23 PM, Stratovarius said:

Really? No wonder tang bo hu was devastated when he was crushed.

Yah...emperor Qin sent his best scouts out to the west in search of the elixir of life...they cum back with fossil of cockroach and dinosaur...also told the emperor they saw no live dinosaur but got many living 小强...the rests were history...becos the scouts didn't tabao any back to the palace...too clean to find any...emperor mati in the field when he went out with his army to search for a live one...😁

[Arogab]

I have been eating it everywhere for years leh

[Stratovarius]

On 6/26/2024 at 1:34 PM, mersaylee said:

Yah...emperor Qin sent his best scouts out to the west in search of the elixir of life...they cum back with fossil of cockroach and dinosaur...also told the emperor they saw no live dinosaur but got many living 小强...the rests were history...becos the scouts didn't tabao any back to the palace...too clean to find any...emperor mati in the field when he went out with his army to search for a live one...😁

[Stary]

On 6/26/2024 at 1:34 PM, mersaylee said:

Yah...emperor Qin sent his best scouts out to the west in search of the elixir of life...they cum back with fossil of cockroach and dinosaur...also told the emperor they saw no live dinosaur but got many living 小强...the rests were history...becos the scouts didn't tabao any back to the palace...too clean to find any...emperor mati in the field when he went out with his army to search for a live one...😁

If you had been my history teacher, I would have scored A. 

You make history come alive. 😂😂

[mersaylee]

On 6/26/2024 at 3:09 PM, Stary said:

If you had been my history teacher, I would have scored A. 

You make history come alive. 😂😂

I study or teach no history...warp or not...i make them...😁

[ER-3682]

On 6/26/2024 at 2:54 PM, Arogab said:

I have been eating it everywhere for years leh

In Thailand,Normal.

[ER-3682]

Singapore got so many Rats & Pigeons,should become Food.

[inlinesix]

On 6/26/2024 at 8:32 PM, ER-3682 said:

Singapore got so many Rats & Pigeons,should become Food.

There is restriction on feed stock for insect if it is to be consumed by human.

Even insect for animal to be eaten has restriction on feed stock.

Rats & Pigeon is a no no.

[DOBIEMKZ]

On 6/26/2024 at 8:32 PM, ER-3682 said:

Singapore got so many Rats & Pigeons,should become Food.

Nowadays several times i observed that there are chickens and roosters roaming hdb driveways, wonder if we can catch them to eat. 😁

 

[inlinesix]

On 6/26/2024 at 9:34 PM, DOBIEMKZ said:

Nowadays several times i observed that there are chickens and roosters roaming hdb driveways, wonder if we can catch them to eat. 😁

 

Go to junction of Morse Road and Teluk Blangah Road.

A lot of chicken roaming.

You know how to slaughter chicken?

[Tianmo]

On 6/26/2024 at 9:42 PM, inlinesix said:

Go to junction of Morse Road and Teluk Blangah Road.

A lot of chicken roaming.

You know how to slaughter chicken?

Grab the neck, and swing one round hard, make sure real hard.  Army teach one.  

 

Edited June 26 by Tianmo

[DOBIEMKZ]

On 6/26/2024 at 9:42 PM, inlinesix said:

Go to junction of Morse Road and Teluk Blangah Road.

A lot of chicken roaming.

You know how to slaughter chicken?

My grandpa taught me to slice the neck on the throat by default otherwise to chop its neck if you don't need the head.

He did bought one live chicken back, fed it for a week and then slaughtered it.