Eating Insects in Singapore
A total of 16 species of insects, such as crickets and silkworm pupae, will receive the green light from the Singapore Food Agency for human consumption later in 2023. This comes after the agency recently concluded a public consultation exercise. They also conducted a thorough scientific review and assessed that specific species of insects with a history of human consumption can be consumed as food, either directly, or made into items such as fried insect snacks or protein bars.
The United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organisation has in recent years been promoting insects for human consumption, in a bid to feed the world's growing population in a more affordable and sustainable way. It has said that edible insects provide high quality nutrition, require less feed and emit less greenhouse gases compared with farmed livestock.
Following the consultation, SFA said that it would also be permitting silkworm cocoons for human consumption, given that these have been consumed in places like China and Malaysia. Silkworms produce their cocoons with silk threads - which are composed of two main proteins, known as sericin and fibroin. While silk has traditionally been used to produce textiles, technology developments have allowed companies to turn these into food and edible coatings. In addition, SFA said that it would also permit fibroin from silkworm cocoons for consumption, given that the protein has been approved in Korea and Japan, and is "generally recognised as safe" by the United States' Food and Drug Administration.
Those looking to introduce black soldier fly larvae for human consumption, will have to apply for approval under the SFA’s novel foods framework, as there has been no known history of human consumption. Black soldier fly larvae is used widely in Singapore - as it is able to consume up to four times its body weight in food waste. In turn, it produces a by-product known as frass, which can be used for fertiliser. The larvae itself is often used as fish or shrimp feed. However, industry players in the insect space remain divided on the scale of consumer demand following the approval, though many are already gearing up for their product launches.
Mr Christopher Leow, chief executive and co-founder of Future Protein Solutions, said that his company is coming up with a few exciting concepts integrating the use of cricket protein, and is thinking of new ways of marketing his products to entice the general public. "A lot more education would be needed to boost public acceptance of the consumption of insects. So it might take awhile before these insects become mainstream at local restaurants," he added. Globally, both high-end restaurants and casual eateries offering insects dishes like crickets have not garnered significant traction, so a lot more needs to be done to normalise insect consumption, Mr Leow noted.
Asia Insect Farm Solutions' co-founder Yuvanesh T.S. said that he too is planning a product launch and is expecting the buzz generated around edible insects to stir up demand, though it remains to be seen whether consuming insects will be a trend that sticks with Singaporeans. The firm produces cricket powder for use in flour and cookies and it is currently selling to customers in the United States and Britain.
Mr Gavriel Tan, co-founder of Altimate Nutrition, a startup from Republic Polytechnic, said that the company is preparing for mass production, and is liaising with its manufacturer in Thailand for the first batch of flavoured cricket protein bars. Altimate Nutrition produces protein bars made with cricket flour. He added that the bars will be ready for sale upon SFA's approval. Mr Tan noted that consumers are very polarised when it comes to insect protein, with some finding its consumption "intriguing" while others are repulsed.
"To address this, we intend to continue workshops and seminars to raise awareness about the benefits of insect-based foods," he said.
Professor William Chen, director of the Food Science and Technology Programme at Nanyang Technological University, said that while the consumption of insects is "no stranger" to a number of Asian countries, the direct introduction of "whole insects" in restaurant menus here might still be challenging due to the general negative perception of insects. "One way to integrate insects into our diet would be to add insect proteins into our familiar foods such as pasta, with proper labelling. With no sight of the whole insects and no change in the taste - I can safely say this after tasting spaghetti bolognese made with mealworm protein-based pasta - consumers would slowly accept insect-based foods," he added.
QUESTIONS
Q1. (a) In your poster, use each step in the Model of Service Consumption to describe a consumer’s decision process when they are thinking of purchasing silkworms for consumption (5 marks)
(b) In your Explanation document, write a complete explanation of each of the steps in this process. You are required to use in-depth research, in-text citations, and a reference list. (5 marks)
Q2. (a) In your Explanation document, identify and discuss in detail one segment to target who might purchase insects from Future Protein Solutions. Then recommend the appropriate promotion programs that Future Protein Solutions could use for each of social, traditional and digital media platforms for your segment . Ensure you discuss the evidence as to why each of your segments will respond to your promotions. You are required to use in-depth research, in-text citations, and a reference list. (5 marks).
(b) In your poster, provide a mock-up of each of the social, digital and traditional media options you developed in 2(a) for the segment you have decided to target (5 marks)
Q3. (a) In your Explanation document, describe seven (7) perceived risks as to why Singaporeans might be wary of eating black soldier fly larvae. Provide recommendations for how companies who wish to sell them might mitigate each of these risks. You are required to use in-depth research, in-text citations and a reference list. (5 marks)
(b) In your poster, illustrate both the consumer risks and the company ways to mitigate each of the seven (7) perceived risks you discussed in 3 (a). (5 marks)