Grab your grub: $4.90 mealworm snack lands at Sheng Siong, joining Singapore's insect-food scene

Insects as food have long been seen as something outside the norm — it's often classified as exotic cuisine, novelty items or the stuff of dare challenges. 

But now, companies like Insect Food are changing that narrative as their new mealworm snack landed on Sheng Siong's shelves last Friday (Dec 13) — alongside your usual picks like potato chips and popcorn.

According to the company, the Insectyumz mealworm snack is the first edible insect snack that's available for sale in supermarkets here.

Each packet of the Mealworms The Original Flavour snack costs $4.90 and, according to the company, is certified to be safe for human consumption following the approval of the Singapore Customs and Singapore Food Agency (SFA). 

The snack will be available across Sheng Siong outlets islandwide.

Speaking to Shin Min Daily News, Ye Yaowei (transliteration), the founder of Insect Food, revealed that it took "half a year of preparation and negotiation" to get the product on the supermarket's shelves. 

He also added that while the mealworm snack is original in flavour, it "tastes like nuts" after the dehydration process. 

Recognising that some people might still be too intimidated by the insect snack, the 39-year-old told the Chinese daily that they plan on getting salespeople to promote the product so everyone has a chance to "try it out". 

The company also carries a variety of other insect snacks in different flavours like Cricket with Salted Egg Flavour ($22) and Rec Rec Cricket Cracker with Mala Flavour ($4). 

The full range can be found on their official website. 

Following SFA's approval of 16 insect species for human consumption in July, more food establishments and companies in Singapore have been coming up with innovative bug dishes to incorporate into their range of offerings. 

The agency's approved list includes various species of crickets, grasshoppers, locusts, mealworms and silkworms.

One such establishment is Fura, a sustainable cocktail bar located along Amoy Street, which added two new menu items including insects in October — Pumpkin Layers ($18), a pastry dish piped with a thick charred capsicum puree made with various spices and grasshopper garum; and Get The Worm ($25), a savoury and spicy margarita concocted with stir-fried mealworm. 

Another is Altimate Nutrition, a nutrition company specialising in edible insect protein snacks. 

Prior to SFA's announcement, the company advocated for the benefits of insect-based supplements — which they rolled out once the green light was given. 

Their offerings include Roasted Silkworms or Crickets ($3.50), Chocolate Banana or Strawberry Cricket Protein Bar ($4) and Cricket Protein Powder ($8). 

Incorporating bugs with local tzechar dishes, House of Seafood also released an extensive new menu in July including dishes that featured insects, such as fish head curry with crickets and silkworm glutinous rice balls. 

However, a check online today showed that these insect-infused items are not on their official menu. 

AsiaOne has reached out to House of Seafood for more information.

And while insects aren't on their permanent menu, some restaurants and establishments in Singapore have also hopped on the insect-grub bandwagon for special occasions.

For Halloween, Takagi Ramen and restaurant-cum-bar Chupitos launched creepy-crawly-incorporated menu items, such as free fried mealworm toppings and bug-infused booze respectively. 

Requirements on food safety and labelling

SFA said on July 8 that those intending to import or farm insects for human consumption or livestock feed must meet the agency's guidelines, including showing documentary proof that the imported insects are farmed in regulated establishments with food safety controls and are not harvested from the wild.

Insects that are not on SFA's list of 16 will have to be evaluated to ensure the species are safe to consume, the agency added.

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carol.ong@asiaone.com