New law to bolster S’pore’s food safety, security passed, with powers to increase food stockpiles

A new law that aims to bolster Singapore’s food safety regulations and safeguard food security will, among other things, enable the stockpiling of more food types, as Singapore moves to deal with an increasingly complex agri-food supply chain and climate change.

The Food Safety and Security Bill, which was passed in Parliament on Jan 8, also spells out stronger maximum penalties for offences involving unsafe food that causes illness, harm and physical injury to consumers.

For example, a company will face a maximum penalty of $50,000 for a food safety-related offence under the new law, from the maximum fine of $5,000 or $50,000 under different legislations.

The new law will also bar offenders whose licences have been revoked due to fraud or multiple food safety lapses from holding new licences of the same type for up to three years. Currently, those who have had their licences revoked can reapply for the same licence immediately after conviction.

On the need for a consolidated law, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment and Manpower Koh Poh Koon told Parliament: “The agri-food supply chain is getting increasingly complex, involving multiple stakeholders and more potential points of failure.”

He added: “Before food reaches our tables, the base ingredients are very likely grown in multiple countries, processed in yet another country, and then packaged and distributed to supermarkets and retail food businesses locally.”

Between 2022 and 2024, an average of 43 per cent of food-borne gastroenteritis outbreaks resulted from poor food safety practices by food workers, said Dr Koh.

In 2024 alone, a number of high-profile mass food poisoning incidents occurred at various premises, including pre-schools and offices. In July, for example, about 130 people who ate catered food at TikTok parent company ByteDance’s office fell ill with symptoms of gastroenteritis.

Dr Koh said that the new law will also require various players, including importers, animal feed producers and slaughterhouses, to keep records for traceability, so that specific batches of affected or contaminated products can be recalled from shelves quickly.

The new law consolidates and updates existing food-related legislation, which has been scattered across nine different Acts.

On the food security front, the Food Safety and Security Bill will now enable Singapore’s stockpiling measures to be expanded.

Keeping stockpiles of staples can help to safeguard the Republic from disruptions in the supply chain, which can be caused by erratic weather patterns due to climate change, for instance.

But there are currently no plans to extend the stockholding requirement beyond rice, Dr Koh told the House.

Existing requirements related to stockpiling rice will be folded under a new minimum stockholding requirement, with other food items and staples subject to stockpiling in future, if needed.

Regulations pertaining to local food production will also come under the new law.

For example, farms will now 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/or renew their licence. Sea-based fish farms also need to state how they will manage water and sediment quality.

The law was also designed to incorporate developments in the food scene, such as the emergence of novel foods, from cultivated meat to insects and more.

The Bill formalises the Singapore Food Agency’s existing practices for insects, genetically modified foods and novel foods, such as their pre-market approval, and seeks to ensure any food safety risks are identified early.

Dr Koh said that provisions under the Bill will be implemented in phases by 2028, starting with that for defined foods and non-packaged drinking water in the second half of 2025. This will allow time for the industry to transition.

Defined foods include novel foods, insect-based foods and those that are of higher regulatory concern.

Responding to the requirement for farms to submit management plans under the new law, Mr Ken Cheong, chief executive of the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation, welcomed the move, and said farms should view such plans as being more than just a regulatory standard.

At a reception for food industry players in Parliament House on Jan 8, he told The Straits Times that such plans could instead be framed as being a commercial standard, like the Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) certificates – an international standard – that are highly coveted by farms.

This certification confirms that a farm implements sound agricultural practices that promote food safety, quality and environmental sustainability. This increases the farm’s reputation and draws more customers that source sustainable food.

“Farmers are more interested in the GAP certification than a regulatory tick in the box. The farms will always ask if (all these changes) can translate into commercial benefits,” said Mr Cheong.

The food sector, from farms to importers, was consulted by the authorities as the Bill was put together.

Noting that several local farms have lean manpower and that the farm management plan adds to their administrative work, the federation has staff to help its member farms document data and readings such as regular water quality and fish stock numbers.

“They will send us the readings. We will authenticate what the farms send us. We become an administrator for them so that they can largely focus on farming,” said Mr Cheong.

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

Costlier Grab rides? Expect this trend to continue: Opinion Current scope of workplace fairness law is just a beginning: Tan See Leng