On 12 November 2024, the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (“MSE“) introduced the Food Safety and Security Bill (“Bill“) in Parliament. The Bill seeks to:
- consolidate and refresh existing food-related legislation;
- strengthen Singapore’s food safety regime to better protect consumers and public health; and
- keep pace with emerging challenges in safeguarding food security.
The Bill will also allow the Ministry of Health (“MOH“) to promote better health for the general public through diet and nutrition.
The proposed provisions in the Bill have undergone consultations with various industry stakeholders. Public consultations were also conducted in phases between March and September 2024, which covered the following aspects of the Bill:
- Defined food and pre-market approval;
- Provision of non-packaged drinking water;
- Strengthening resilience of food supply;
- Certain agri-food production inputs (animal feed and pesticides);
- Import, export and transhipment; and
- Food businesses.
The key features of the Bill are set out below.
- Consolidation of existing food-related legislation into a single Act. The existing food-related legislation that the Bill seeks to consolidate include the following: (i) Animals and Birds Act 1965, (ii) Control of Plants Act 1993, (iii) Environmental Public Health Act 1987; (iv) Feeding Stuffs Act 1965; (v) Fisheries Act 1966; (vi) Sale of Food Act 1973; (vii) Wholesale Meat and Fish Act 1999; and (viii) Price Control Act 1950. Among other things, the Bill will streamline the requirements that are imposed under the relevant Acts to make it easier for the industry to refer to. For example, importers will only need to refer to the Food Safety and Security Act for food import regulations.
- Strengthening food safety regime to better protect consumers and public health
- Expanded definition of food business. The Bill will expand the definition of “food business” to cover not only non-retail and retail businesses, but also those involved in the production of primary produce. This is to regulate both retail and non-retail food businesses, as well as food production activities, in a single framework.
- Extend food safety coverage. The coverage of food safety legislation will be extended beyond the sale of food to the “supply” of food, which includes food donations, considering that similar food safety risks exist for both sold food and donated food.
- Traceability obligations. Key food distribution points will be required to maintain records for traceability. This is to facilitate quick response to recall food in the event of any food safety incident.
- Enhanced penalties. Penalties for non-compliance with the legislation will be tiered based on the severity and culpability of offences, with higher penalties for repeat offenders, corporate entities, and serious offenses. Recalcitrant offenders will be disqualified from obtaining new licences for a specified period.
- Issuance of health-related regulations. MOH will be empowered to issue regulations to promote public health. Existing regulations on Nutri-Grade labelling and bans on partially hydrogenated oil as an ingredient in foods sold in Singapore will continue.
- Expanded definition of food business. The Bill will expand the definition of “food business” to cover not only non-retail and retail businesses, but also those involved in the production of primary produce. This is to regulate both retail and non-retail food businesses, as well as food production activities, in a single framework.
- Keeping pace with emerging food security challenges
- Minimum Stockholding Requirement (“MSR”) framework. The Bill introduces an MSR framework to strengthen Singapore’s resilience against food supply disruptions. MSR is a mandate under the Bill to stockpile certain food items or agri-food production input within a prescribed period to ensure food supply continuity. This allows MSE/the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to continue administering the Rice Stockpile Scheme (RSS), which requires rice importers to stockpile rice as part of their import licence condition. The MSR framework enables the Government to extend similar stockpiling schemes to other essential food items or agri-food production inputs in the future.
- Farm Management Plan. Local farms will be required to develop and implement a Farm Management Plan to mitigate food safety risks and ensure sustainable food production.
- Minimum Stockholding Requirement (“MSR”) framework. The Bill introduces an MSR framework to strengthen Singapore’s resilience against food supply disruptions. MSR is a mandate under the Bill to stockpile certain food items or agri-food production input within a prescribed period to ensure food supply continuity. This allows MSE/the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) to continue administering the Rice Stockpile Scheme (RSS), which requires rice importers to stockpile rice as part of their import licence condition. The MSR framework enables the Government to extend similar stockpiling schemes to other essential food items or agri-food production inputs in the future.
The Second Reading of the Bill is slated for January 2025.
Click on the following links for more information:
- Full Bill (available on the Parliament of Singapore website at www.parliament.gov.sg)
- SFA Media Release titled “Introduction of the Food Safety and Security Bill” (available on the SFA website at www.sfa.gov.sg)
Rajah & Tann Singapore publications:
- August 2024 NewsBytes write-up titled “Two Public Consultations on Requirements on Licensing, Food Import and Export, Food Marketing, Health Promotion in Proposed Food and Security Bill
- March 2024 NewsBytes write-up titled “MSE and SFA Consult on Draft Provisions in Food Safety and Security Bill Concerning (i) Defined Food and Pre-market Approval; and (ii) Provision of Non-packaged Drinking Water”
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