The next time you’re browsing the snack aisle, you might spot something unexpected: dried crickets seasoned with Tom Yum flavoring.
(Or maybe you’ve already spotted them)
These crunchy insects are making their way into mainstream Singapore supermarkets, but the question remains whether local shoppers will take the leap.
Advertisements
One local company has been quietly building momentum in the insect food space. After launching cricket snacks at 77 Sheng Siong outlets with decent success, they’ve now expanded to budget supermarkets across the island.
The results?
More than 500 packs sold in just five days, beating company projections.
This isn’t just a novelty experiment. Singapore Food Agency opened the door last July by approving 16 types of insect foods for local import, manufacturing and sale. The list includes crickets, silkworm pupae and grasshoppers. Any insects not on this approved list need separate evaluation before hitting shelves.
You can watch this video to know more about this:
Startup Founder Bets Big on Cricket Culture Shift
INSECTyumz founder Javier Yip has spent years trying to shift local attitudes toward eating insects. His latest milestone puts Tom Yum flavored dried crickets on shelves at 75 budget supermarkets island-wide.
The expansion took six months of preparation. But early results look promising. Each store sold about seven packs during the first five days. That translates to roughly 525 packs across all locations: performance that exceeded company expectations.
Combined with existing Sheng Siong locations, shoppers now have 150 sales points across Singapore to buy cricket snacks. Each 35-gram pack costs $4.90 and comes from Thailand, where Yap’s company partners with cricket farms.
Advertisements
The dried crickets still look recognizably insect-like, though processors remove the antennae and legs. Yap says this approach follows industry standards for cricket snacks.
Beyond supermarket shelves, Yap has been running promotional booths across Singapore since July last year. These pop-up stations let curious shoppers sample insect foods before committing to a purchase.
“We feel very encouraged,” Yip told Shin Min Daily News. “Close to a year has passed. At first, nobody knew about insect foods and nobody dared eat them. Now more people have heard of insect foods and are willing to try. We think this is huge progress.”
Public Remains Split on Cricket Consumption
Walking through FairPrice Xtra at Serangoon NEX mall, shoppers had mixed reactions to discovering cricket snacks among familiar brands.
Shin Min Daily News reported that Chen Mei Yan (name transliterated from Mandarin), a 50-year-old bank employee, seemed shocked that supermarkets now stock cricket snacks. Her response, echoed by her mother: “We don’t dare eat them!”
Advertisements
Despite knowing cricket snacks are common overseas, Chen still questions their safety.
Younger shoppers showed more curiosity but similar hesitation. Sixteen-year-old student Dong Wen Yu (name transliterated from Mandarin) and two friends found the concept fascinating. But when asked about actually trying them: “They look too scary. Maybe we’ll try when they become more common. Or if friends buy some, we might give them a taste.”
Most people interviewed said they’d wait for cricket snacks to gain wider acceptance before taking their first bite.
How about you? Would you try…given that they’re in supermarkets now?
Would you be jailed for being half-naked in public? Well, the answer will shock you. Seriously. Watch this to the end and you'll understand:
Read Also:
- Four Hospitalized as Singapore Car Collides with Malaysia Bus during Failed Safety Procedures at Woodlands Checkpoint
- DPM Gan Kim Yong Launches $3 Budget Meal Vending Machine in Punggol
- 71-Year-Old Worker Injured with Eight Stitches after Food Delivery Rider’s Warning Bell Startles Him
- Trump “Loses” as US Judge Blocks Administration from Revoking Harvard Foreign Students’ Enrolment
- 43-Year-Old Actress Fiona Xie Reveals Health Scare Details Following Extensive Medical Examination
- 6 Deals for SG60 Because Everything Also SG60
