Singapore approves 16 insects for human consumption

Singapore has approved 16 species of insects to eat as food, and people are saying it’s a glimpse into the future. 

The country has given the green light for the safe consumption of the likes of crickets, grubs, moth larvae and one species of honeybee. 

The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) said “insects are a new food item here” but that regulation will ensure they're harvested and consumed safely.

The move comes after the United Nations’ Food and Agriculture Organisation has been keenly promoting the consumption of insects as a sustainable protein source for some time now.

Insects are enjoyed in many parts of the world already (Credit: EatGrub)

READ MORE: It's time to stop squirming at eating insects - it's the future

“With immediate effect, SFA will allow the import of insects and insect products belonging to species that have been assessed to be of low regulatory concern,” the Singapore Food Agency said in a statement.

The full list of edible bugs can be found below: 

1. Western honey bee/European honey bee
2. Silkworm/silk moth
3. Lesser wax moth
4. Honeycomb moth/greater wax moth
5. Giant Rhino beetle grub
6. Whitegrub
7. Mealworm
8. Lesser mealworm
9. Superworm beetles/giant mealworm beetle/king mealworm
10. Grasshopper
11. American desert locust/desert locust
12. African migratory locust
13. Black/field cricket/two-spotted cricket
14. Common/field cricket
15. Banded cricket
16. House cricket

The approval comes with strict boundaries within which insect farming can take place. 

SFA guidelines state that insects can’t be harvested from the wild, and must be manufactured in a premises which has been regulated to do so. 

The SFA said that, when determining insects for consumption, it considered which insects were eaten outside of Singapore.

Other countries already allow insect consumption, including South Korea, Australia and the EU.

Whilst the EU is in the process of approving more insects as a "novel food source," only four have currently had the okay over here.

Insects are a sustainable protein source (Credit: Getty)

The topic of edible insects is still a divisive one in some countries, even though they're common in many cuisines globally.

Mexican restaurant chain, Wahaca, has been serving crickets on its menu intermittently since back in 2013, and we’ve seen many other establishments with cuisines from the Southern Hemisphere following suit, in a bid to offer more authenticity, and something new and exciting for punters.

Speaking about her decision to cook with critters, Wahaca’s co-founder, Thomasina Miers, says her main drive was to highlight ingredients that were “incredibly normal” to a Mexican palate.

“Nowadays it’s definitely less of a gimmick,” she exclusively told us. “I think when people come to a restaurant like ours, they’re willing to try [insects]. There’s a curiosity there”.

Experts believe the world will be eating more insects in years to come (Credit: Getty)

Meanwhile, Peter Smithers, an entomologist and associate research fellow at the University of Plymouth, said: “I think it just needs a few bold, big players to get involved.

“We need celebrity endorsements. We need a big brand to bring out a range of insect-based food, and generally we just need more talk about it.”

“We saw this with veganism, which started with cranks cooking plant-based at home,” said Leo Taylor, founder of insect meal kit company, Yum Bug. “Then restaurants and bars got on board, and it went mainstream.”

We're yet to approve as many insects as Singapore here in the UK, but it sure looks like insects are the future.

Featured image: Getty