Insect Farms in Singapore

Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for the Environment and Water Resources (a) how many insect farms are currently located in Singapore; (b) what types of insects are currently allowed to be cultivated in Singapore; and (c) whether there are plans to allow for post-consumer food waste to be used for insect farming to help in recycling food waste.

There are currently two licensed establishments in Singapore that rear insects. One of them is licensed by the Animal & Veterinary Service (AVS) as it rears insects for pet food.

The other is licensed by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) as it rears insects to produce animal feed. This establishment rears Black Soldier Fly Larvae (BSFL) using waste streams from local food manufacturing companies such as okara, a by-product of soybean milk and tofu manufacturing, and spent brewery grains. The BSFL are processed into aquaculture feed for fish.

As part of the licensing requirements for establishments rearing insects to produce animal feed, SFA requires that the substances used to feed the insects are properly handled and traceable to ensure the safety of insect-derived animal feed.

Insects can be a good alternative source of feed for animals reared for food, due to their high feed conversion efficiency. This also supports Singapore's efforts to pursue circular economy approaches to reduce waste and be more environmentally sustainable.

However, insect farming is still a developing field. SFA is closely monitoring developments in this area, such as rearing practices, research and scientific literature, as well as relevant regulations adopted by overseas regulatory authorities. SFA will continue to refine its regulations and support for insect farming in Singapore.