Consumers to have greater flexibility to import food items under proposed law

Consumers will have greater flexibility to import food – whether meat or processed goods – for personal consumption, under a new law proposed in Parliament on Nov 12.

Under the Food Safety and Security Bill (FSSB), each person will be allowed to bring in a total of 15kg of food across all categories for private consumption. This also applies to food bought online.

Currently, import limits are determined by food type. For example, a person can import only 5kg of meat, or 5kg of fish – of which only 2kg can be frozen. But the proposed law will consolidate all food types, including meat, fish, eggs, fruits and vegetables, and processed foods, under one import limit of 15kg.

Also, under current rules, meat products can be imported only from accredited sources in approved countries that comply with Singapore’s food safety standards and requirements. Beef, for example, can be brought in from only 13 countries including Argentina, Australia and New Zealand, but not from Malaysia or Indonesia.

But under the proposed Bill, residents and visitors can bring in commonly consumed meat items from more countries.

Such meat includes beef, pork, mutton, venison, chicken, duck, turkey and goose. However, items of higher regulatory concern, such as animal blood and game meat, will continue to be prohibited, said the Singapore Food Agency (SFA).

The agency said more details will be shared when ready.

It added: “The limits (of meat) imports for private consumption are currently stipulated in different Acts and differ based on food types. The limits were also set many years ago.”

It stressed that while the proposed law will provide more flexibility on the quantity of food types, it will be an offence to sell the food brought in for personal consumption.

The proposed law will consolidate and update existing food-related legislation, which is currently scattered across eight different Acts, under the single FSSB. This will allow players in the food sector – from farmers to eateries – to follow the regulations without confusion, said the SFA.

Ensuring food safety

Safeguarding people from food safety scares is a key tenet of the proposed Bill, which plans to mete out stronger maximum penalties for offences involving unsafe food that causes illness, harm and physical injury to consumers.

Offences that are committed knowingly, or done by recalcitrant individuals and corporates, will also be subject to higher penalties. If a recalcitrant company were to knowingly serve food that causes food poisoning, it can be fined up to $100,000 under the proposed law.

Repeat offenders whose food-related licences are revoked will be disqualified from holding new licences of the same type for a certain duration. “This prevents unfit and unsuitable persons from operating food businesses, which could jeopardise human or public health,” said SFA in a statement.

The agency added: “The FSSB will extend coverage of food safety legislation beyond the sale of food to the supply of food, which includes donation and distribution of free food.”

Although the Bill has been in the works for a few years, the recent spate of mass food poisoning incidents have put the spotlight on food safety.

In July, about 130 people who ate catered food at TikTok parent company’s ByteDance office fell ill with symptoms of gastroenteritis. In October, Stamford Catering Services was suspended after three incidents of gastroenteritis affected 51 people.

Various players in the sector, including importers, animal feed producers and slaughterhouses will also need to keep records for traceability and recalls. This is so that unsafe food and unfit animal feed can be removed from the market quickly.

The proposed FSSB will also allow consumers to be more reassured about donated food, as SFA would have powers to take action against donors that flout food safety rules. Today, SFA can take enforcement action only against food safety lapses for sold food.

This provision under the Bill complements the recent Good Samaritan Food Donation Act, which protects donors from lawsuits as long as they comply with strict food safety and hygiene laws. However, if they do not comply, donors can be liable under the FSSB.

Safeguarding food security

Another tenet of the FSSB is ensuring food security amid import shocks and climate change impacts.

Existing requirements related to stockpiling rice will be folded under a new minimum stockholding requirement, with other food items and staples subject to stockpiling, if needed. No details were provided on what these other food types could be.

There is an existing rice stockpile scheme that mandates rice importers to keep a stockpile amount of the staple in government-designated warehouses. This scheme will be administered by SFA under the proposed Bill.

When asked why rice is the only food item to be stockpiled for now, SFA said there is a need to strike a balance between potential costs to the industry and food security needs.

But the minimum stockholding requirement will allow the agency to give directions to stockpile other essential food items when the need arises.

The proposed law will also require farms to provide a detailed record of their farm management practices, such as the types of feed used, how waste is disposed of and how they respond to diseases.

SFA said: “As we grow the farming industry, we need to ensure that farming activities would not impact the environment, as this would in turn affect the viability of long-term farming in Singapore.”

Local production of food is one aspect of Singapore’s efforts to safeguard food security during disruptions to global food supply chains.

Under the proposed law, farms will need to have a farm management plan that aims to reduce risks to food safety, disease spread and sustainable production. The plan needs to be submitted when applicants apply for a farm licence and renew their licence. Currently, farms do not need to submit such a plan.

Sea-based fish farms must have a proper system to manage or dispose of waste, carcasses and pests, and manage their fish stocks properly. The farms must also use stable, non-pollutive feeds, regularly clean cages and check for signs of diseases.

Given the close link between food, health and nutrition, the new Bill will enable the Health Ministry to make food-related regulations, to promote health and regulate food items that may lead to non-communicable diseases.

Source: Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

Food Safety and Security Bill (Bill 49 of 2024)

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