Frequently Asked Questions

You may download a copy of the Food Regulations from our website.

You may refer to Regulation 35(2)(a) and (b) for the definition of ready-to-eat (RTE) food. A food product that meets the definition is an RTE food, and is required to comply with the microbiological standards in the Eleventh Schedule of the Food Regulations.

Incidental constituents or contaminants in food refer to undesirable substances unavoidably present in food due to factors such as production, manufacture, treatment, packaging, transport and environmental contamination. Maximum limits for contaminants in food are stipulated under the Food Regulations to protect human health.

The Food Regulations do not stipulate test parameters for food.

Food traders have the responsibility to ensure that the food products they make available for sale in Singapore comply with the requirements under the Food Regulations.

Food that is imported and sold in Singapore must not contain any pesticide residue other than those specified in the Ninth Schedule of the Food Regulations and the list of new MRLs, within the maximum residue limits (MRLs) specified therein. These new MRLs will be included in the Food Regulations in future amendments.

In the case of pesticides which do not have MRLs stipulated under the Ninth Schedule or in the list of new MRLs, the MRLs adopted by the Codex Alimentarius Commission (CAC) for these pesticides would be used as the maximum limits.

In the case of pesticides which do not have MRLs stipulated under the Ninth Schedule nor in the list of new MRLs, nor have MRLs adopted by the CAC, a sponsor (national government, an importer, an exporter, or a pesticide manufacturer) may provide the following information to SFA for consideration of setting an import tolerance for facilitating agri-food trade:

• National GAP label governing the use pattern of the pesticide on a specific crop or a crop group
• Pesticide residues datasets gathered through the residues field trials conducted under the critical GAP
• Proposed pesticide MRL
• A valid ADI (and an ARfD, if applicable) established by JMPR and/or OECD countries for enabling dietary risk assessment

Please refer to the SFA website for guidelines to register agricultural pesticides used in the commercial cultivation of plants in Singapore.

Sample submission can be either analytical standard or formulated product or both. We will inform you whether a sample submission is required after the application and dossier have been forwarded to the committee for evaluation.

The maximum limit for arsenic as stipulated under the Tenth Schedule of the Food Regulations refers to total arsenic, which includes both organic and inorganic arsenic.

You may refer to regulation 35 and the Eleventh Schedule of the Food Regulations for microbiological standards in food products.

Ready-to-eat (RTE) food are not required to be tested for total plate count (TPC).

Ready-to-eat (RTE) food are not required to be tested for coliform count. The coliform limit has been replaced with the Enterobacteriaceae limit.

Pathogens, being disease causing micro-organisms, should not be present in ready-to-eat (RTE) food, other than specific pathogens for which limits have been specified in paragraphs 1 and 2 of Part 2 of the Eleventh Schedule. It is not the intention of the Food Regulations  to specify a full list of pathogens required to be tested in RTE food. Food traders should understand the hazards their products may pose to consumers and perform the necessary pathogen testing based on the risk profile of their food.

Enterobacteriaceae is a large family of Gram-negative bacteria that includes Escherichia coli, Salmonella, Kiebsiella, Shigella, amongst others. Tests conducted on individual species of bacteria within this family (e.g. Salmonella, Escherichia coli) cannot be taken as a replacement for Enterobacteriaceae testing. Your company is still required to comply with the Enterobacteriaceae limits for ready-to-eat (RTE) food stipulated in the  microbiological standards.

The microbiological standards for ready-to-eat (RTE) food applies to all RTE food sold in Singapore. RTE food sold by restaurants and food caterers are required to comply with the standards. You may refer to Regulation 35 of the Food Regulations for the definition of RTE food.

The microbiological standards for ready-to-eat (RTE) food applies only to RTE food imported, manufactured or produced for sale in Singapore. If the products are meant for export, please ensure that they comply with the microbiological standards for RTE food in the importing country.

Before a genetically modified (GM) food crop is allowed to be grown commercially for human consumption, the GM food crop has to undergo rigorous safety tests, carried out over many years. It will only be allowed to grow commercially when the safety tests show that the GM food crop is substantially equivalent to the conventional crop and is safe for human consumption. Food products made from such approved GM food crops are equally safe.

In Singapore, applications for the import or release of GM organisms (including GM food) are first evaluated by the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee (GMAC) in accordance with the GMACs Guidelines on the Release of Agriculture-related GM organisms. GMAC is a national committee established in 1999 with the objectives to oversee and advise on the research and development, production, use, handling and release of GMOs in Singapore. Upon completion of the safety evaluation, GMAC will make its recommendations to the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), the national food safety authority. GMACs endorsement of the GMO will be one of the criteria that SFA takes into consideration when granting the final approval of the application.

GM corn and soybean, which have been approved in many countries including the USA, Canada, Australia and member countries of the European Union, are very likely incorporated into various processed foods. Since we import food from these countries, it is possible that such foods are sold here in Singapore. However, these foods are safe for consumption because they are regulated like any other foods in meeting the same, if not more, rigorous safety standards.

Food imported from Japan that is available in the market is safe for consumption.

Since 25 Mar 2011, all consignments of fruits and vegetables, seafood, meat, milk and milk products imported from Japan have been subjected to hold-and-test. This means that the products will only be released for sale when test results show that there is no radioactive contamination. If radioactive contaminants are detected in any sample, the affected shipment will be disposed of.

The SFA has suspended on the import of fruits and vegetables to include the prefectures of Kanagawa, Tokyo, Saitama, Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi, Gunma and Chiba. The SFA had also suspended the import of milk, milk products, seafood and meat from Fukushima, Ibaraki, Tochigi and Gunma.

The impact on Singapore's food supply is expected to be minimal. In 2010, seafood imported from Japan constitutes less than 2% of our total seafood imports by quantity. The import of other food products from Japan is negligible (less than 0.5%).

The public could visit the Japan Earthquake microsite at http://www.gov.sg/japanquake for latest updates and information.