Singapore Greenlights the Import of Low-Risk Insects for Food and Animal Feed

With effect from July 8, 2024, SFA allows the import of insects and insect products belonging to species assessed as with low regulatory concern. These insects and insect products can be used for human consumption or as animal feed for food producing animals.

On July 8, 2024, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) issued the Import of Insects and Insect Products As Food with immediate effect, stating 16 kinds of insects and insect-derived products that are considered to pose low regulatory risks can be imported as human food as well as animal feed for livestock. Additionally, SFA summarised specific import guidelines for importers.

List of Insects Assessed to Be Safe for Human Consumption

S/N	Order	Common name of insect	Life stage(s) permitted	Species name of insect
1	Orthoptera	a) House cricket	Adult stage only	Acheta domesticus
		b) Banded cricket	Adult stage only	Gryllodes sigillatus
		c) Common/field cricket	Adult stage only	Teleogryllus testaceus / Teleogryllus mitratus (Gryllus testaceus)
		d) Black/field cricket / Two-spotted cricket	Adult stage only	Gryllus bimaculatus
		e) African migratory locust	Adult stage only	Locusta migratoria migratorioides
		f) American desert locust / Desert locust	Adult stage only	Schistocerca americana / Schistocerca gregaria
		g) Grasshopper	Adult stage only	Oxya japonica
2	Coleoptera	a) Superworm beetles / Giant mealworm beetle / King mealworm	Larva stage only	Zophobas atratus/ Zophobas morio
		b) Mealworm	Larva stage only	Tenebrio molitor
		c) Lesser mealworm	Larva stage only	Alphitobius diaperinus
		d) Whitegrub	Larva stage only	Protaetia brevitarsis
		e) Giant Rhino beetle grub	Larva stage only	Allomyrina dichotoma / Trypoxylus dichotomus
3	Lepidoptera	a) Greater wax moth / Honeycomb moth	Larva stage only	Galleria mellonella
		b) Lesser wax moth	Larva stage only	Achroia grisella
		c) Silk moth / silkworm	Larva & pupa stages	Bombyx mori
4	Hymenoptera	a) Western honey bee / European honey bee	Larva & adult stages	Apis mellifera
Notes: African Migratory locus, American desert locust/desert locust, Greater wax moth/Honeycomb moth, Lesser wax moth and Western honey bee/European honey bee are strictly not allowed to be imported live as National Parks Board (NParks) have assessed them to be plant pests/invasive species.

Notably, insects which are not on this list need to undergo evaluation to ensure that they can be used for human consumption. The information to be submitted to SFA for the assessment of new insect species are:

Scientific name of the insect and its intended life stage for human consumption;
Details of the farming and/or processing method, including the type of substrate;
Evidence of its use history as a human food in a country other than Singapore;
Information relied on to establish that the species and life stage is safe for consumption;
Singapore address or entity of applicant.

Summary of Import Guidelines

Insects are a new food category in Singapore, for which the SFA has established a regulatory framework to oversee. Here are some points for importation.

1. Registration of importers

For imports of insects and insect products for human food, importers should register with SFA for the registration to import processed food and food appliances. For imports of insects and insect products as animal feed for livestock, importers should register with SFA for the registration to import animal feed.

2. Pre-registration of processing establishments of insects exported to Singapore

Importers shall complete a one-time registration for overseas facility where produces the insects and insect products. After the registration, the facility will be assigned a unique code.

To complete the registration, importers must submit supporting documents. This includes documentary proof that products are manufactured in premises regulated by the competent authority, and evidence that the overseas facility has implemented a Food Safety Management System (FSMS)/Hazard Analysis Critical Control Point (HACCP) plan for processing the insect-based items.

3. Application for cargo clearance permit

After completing the registration, enterprises can apply for a cargo clearance permit. When applying, they must use the appropriate Harmonized System (HS) and product codes for insects and insect products. The specific establishment code of the insect processing facility must also be included in the application.

Enterprises must ensure that any imported insects and insect products, whether for human food or animal feed, comply with relevant regulatory standards. These standards include Microbiological Requirements for Ready-to-eat Food, as well as limits for heavy metals and mycotoxins as specified in the Food Regulations. SFA may conduct inspection and food safety testing on the imported insects and insect products.

4. Import of live insects

For importing live insects, either for human food or as animal feed, enterprises must first submit a request to the NParks before applying for a cargo clearance permit.