In late 2022, the SFA held its first public consultation on the regulation of insects and insecticides.
Last April, the agency said 16 species of insects could be given the green light for consumption within the second half of 2023, but that call was postponed.
Earlier this yr, the SFA said it was finalising implementation details and intended to introduce the regulatory framework in the primary half of this yr.
In late June, sources equivalent to restaurants and potential farms reported that approval was imminent.
The SFA said it has developed a regulatory framework for insects, which sets out guidelines for insects to be approved as food, “as the insect industry is in its infancy and insects are a new food product here.”
These guidelines apply to businesses desiring to import, rear or process insects for food or animal feed.
These regulations state that the insect species have to be assessed for a history of human consumption, no contaminants could also be introduced into the breeding and processing of insects and bug products, the insects have to be raised in regulated facilities with food safety controls, they can’t be collected from the wild, and the ultimate product have to be fit for human consumption.
The SFA added that insects outside the 16 approved species must undergo an assessment to make sure they’re fit for consumption.
While there are currently no international standards on the sale and consumption of insects for food or animal feed, the SFA guidelines “are based on a thorough scientific review, taking into account the experience of countries and regions that have permitted the consumption of some insects as food.”
Companies selling packaged foods that contain insects are required to label the product packaging to point the “true nature of the product.”
As the SFA states on its website, insecticide products, like other food products, are subject to the agency’s inspection and oversight, which incorporates sampling for food safety testing.
“Food found to be non-compliant with [the] SFA food safety regulations is not going to allow on the market,” it added.
Francis Ng, general manager of House of Seafood restaurant, said in June that his chefs are getting used to working with insects as ingredients and are ensuring they’re fit for human consumption by cleansing them thoroughly.
“[The first step for our chefs is to] “Clean them, then bake them in the oven,” he said.[A small little brush would be used] “clean piece by piece.”
Some of those hygiene protocols are based on a set of interim guidelines for the handling and farming of insects for food, which were first published in 2022, when the federal government first floated the thought of allowing insects as food.
Crickets, grasshoppers, and mealworms, for instance, are high in protein. These insects also contain a ton of antioxidants and minerals, including iron, zinc, copper, and magnesium.
