Ready-to-eat food

Food Regulations.

The above document contains the existing regulations and is available at the following website: http://www.ava.gov.sg/legislation (select "Sale of Food Act"). The proposed regulations to amend the existing regulations are being drafted, and will be posted at the following website as soon as they are available: http://www.ava.gov.sg/legislation (select "Sale of Food Act").

Singapore would like to notify WTO Members of the following changes to the proposed measures (previously notified via G/SPS/N/SGP/59)^[1], taking into consideration feedback and comments received from stakeholders and interested parties:

1.    to delete the existing regulation 35 of the Food Regulations and substitute with the following new regulation 35:

35 -(1) Ready-to-eat food shall comply with the microbiological standard specified in Parts I and II of the Eleventh Schedule.

(2) In these Regulations, "ready-to-eat food" means food that is made available for sale for direct human consumption without the need for cooking or any other form of processing to eliminate, or reduce to the standards specified in the Eleventh Schedule, any pathogenic or other micro-organisms of concern in food; and includes concentrated food (e.g. beverages, cup noodles and fruit juice cordials, squashes and syrups) which have to be reconstituted or diluted with fluids before consumption, chilled or frozen cooked products (e.g. chicken wings, pizza and instant meal) which may be re-heated before consumption.

2.    to delete the existing Eleventh Schedule and substitute with a new Eleventh Schedule:

ELEVENTH SCHEDULE

MICROBIOLOGICAL STANDARD FOR FOOD

Part I: Enterobacteriaceae and Escherichia coli

Type of Food                                   Enterobacteriaceae count              Escherichia coli count

                                                     Colony forming unit/ gram           Colony forming unit/ gram

                                                                     (cfu/g)                                        (cfu/g)

Milk powder (including full-                           <10⁴                                                        <10²

cream, half cream, skimmed

milk and infant formula),

buttermilk powder,

pasteurized milk and ice cream

All other ready-to-eat food                           <10⁴                                          <10²

Part II: Pathogens

Pathogens                                                           Colony forming unit /gram

                                                                            (cfu/g)

Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus           <10²

Bacillus cereus                                                      <2.0 X 10²

Clostridium perfringens                                         <10²

Vibrio parahaemolyticus                                        <10² in raw ready-to-eat seafood only Pathogens other than the ones listed in the table above, whether or not commonly associated with the ready-to-eat food, should not be detected in 25 grams of the ready-to-eat food.

^[1] On 4 September 2018, the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore notified the WTO SPS Committee of its intention to amend the regulations for microbiological standard for food via G/SPS/N/SGP/59. At the close of the notification period, Singapore received a number of comments. The summary of comments received, together with Singapore's response, can be downloaded from the following portal:

https://www.reach.gov.sg/participate/public-consultation/agrifood-veterinary-authority-of-singapore/regulatory-programmes/proposed-amendments-to-the-food-regulations-regarding-microbiological-standards-for-rte-food.