The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) ensures that processed food available in Singapore, both imported and locally manufactured, is safe for consumption. Processed food products refer to all food products and supplements of food nature except meat products and fish products, fresh fruits and fresh vegetables.
All imports of processed food and food appliances must comply with prevailing requirements laid down under the Sale of Food Act and the Food Regulations including the labelling requirements.
Food additives permitted for use in food are listed under the Food Regulations. Herbal ingredients which may be used in food can be found here.
Importers of processed food products and food appliances are required to register with the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority. To know more about registering with AVA, please click here.
Obtaining food from regulated sources
The long-term objective of AVA’s food safety program is to secure food safety at source. It is essential that food exported to Singapore is produced under sanitary conditions in a properly regulated establishment. Food importers are required to obtain food from regulated sources. They are required to maintain documentary proof that the products they import are produced in an establishment under proper supervision of the competent food authority or which has a quality assurance program acceptable to AVA
At present, importers of the following food products are required to submit certified-true-copy documents from the food safety authority of the country of origin certifying that the imported food product is produced or manufactured by a licensed or regulated premises:
|
S/No. |
Types of products |
|
1 |
Breads and buns |
|
2 |
Chocolate products |
|
3 |
Coconut milk and grated coconut, and nasi lemak |
|
4 |
Infant cereals and infant formulae |
|
5 |
Land snails |
|
6 |
Minimally processed fruits and vegetables |
|
7 |
Noodles and pastas |
|
8 |
Traditional cakes (kueh kueh) |
|
9 |
Cut Sugarcanes |
|
10 |
Mooncakes |
Some examples of documents that are acceptable include:
Business licence or registration of the premises
Health Certificate
Certificate of HACCP or equivalent quality assurance system
Certificate of Good Manufacturing Practices
A one-time submission of the regulated source documents is required by each importer for each foreign premises, unless there are changes to your sources of supply. Importers should fill in the attached form and fax the completed form together with a copy of the document(s) to AVA at Fax: 6221 5091. Importers should retain the original copy for AVA’s inspection as and when necessary.
AVA will be gradually extending this requirement to other imported processed food products.
It is the responsibility of the importers to ensure that the products imported by them comply with the Sale of Food Act and the Food Regulations. It is therefore, advisable that before importation, the importers initiate some quality control checks and due diligence checks on the products by sending their products to accredited laboratories for analysis.
A list of Singapore Accreditation Council-Singapore Laboratory Accreditation Scheme (SAC-SINGLAS) accredited laboratories can be found
here.
An import permit is required for every import consignment of processed food products or food appliances. Traders can apply for the import permits by declaring their imports through the TradeNet system. The system will then route the declaration to AVA for processing. Upon approval, the import permit for the consignment is incorporated in the Cargo Clearance Permit printed at the trader's terminal.
Registered importers must declare their registration numbers, the correct HS codes and product codes when applying for import permits through the TradeNet system, otherwise their permit applications will be rejected by the system. A list of HS Codes together with the product codes is available here.
Additional requirements and supporting documents such as health certificates and/or laboratory analytical reports may be required for the import of specific food products when applying for import permits.
When submitting the documents, please state the Unique Reference No. of the permit declaration and the AVA Registration Number on the top right hand corner of each document.
All imported processed food products and food appliances are subjected to inspection. Samples may be taken for laboratory analysis. In certain cases, a conditional approval message will be posted on the import permits to require traders to contact AVA at Tel: 6325 0783/ 6221 5056 to arrange for inspection.
AVA adopts a risk-based approach towards ensuring food safety. Food products identified through trend studies to be of high potential health risk, or have a history of poor food safety record are placed under strict import control (high risk). These products require pre-market assessment such as the requisition of health certificates or laboratory analytical reports to certify the safety of the products, or inspections and/or sampling, at the points of import.
- Natural mineral water and spring water
- Other packaged drinking water
- Soy sauce and oyster sauce
- Cut sugar cane
- Ready to eat food
- Traditional kueh
- Coconut milk, shelled coconut, grated coconut, desiccated coconut
- Infant formula
- Infant cereal
- Minimally processed cut /peeled fruits & vegetables
- Dairy products
- Beancurd sheets, dried beancurd skins, beancurd sticks, beancurd slices, soya protein
- Porcelain, ceramic food wares
- Preserved vegetables (pickles)
- Flour/ corn starch
- Kernel nuts, cashew nuts, pistachio
- Maize & corn
- Food from Eastern Europe
- Preserved fruits
- Mooncakes
- Processed Land Snails (Escargot)
- Artificial Sweetening Agent
- Rice
With effect from 1 October 2006, there will be an application fee of $21.50 (inclusive of 5% GST) for every NEW application submitted for Registration to import processed food (not containing meat and fish products and fresh fruits and vegetables) and food appliances.
In international food trade, it is common for the regulatory authorities of certain countries to require importers of food products to furnish various food export documents issued by the regulatory authorities of the exporting countries.
AVA issues various types of food export certificates (as follows) at the request of the local food exporters who are exporting processed food products, excluding meat and seafood products, from Singapore, to assist them in meeting the requirements of the regulatory authorities of the importing countries.
As different countries may have different import requirements for different types of food products, food exporters should always find out the exact type of export documents that are required by the importing countries and apply for these documents prior to the export of food products from Singapore.
No Import of Julian Graves Sesame Seeds
Julian Graves Ltd in the United Kingdom has recalled a batch of its sesame seeds, due to the possible presence of salmonella. The product being recalled is Julian Graves Sesame Seeds 500g with Best before date: 23/10/08
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) confirms that there is no import of the Julian Graves Sesame Seeds into Singapore. Consumers are advised to discard the affected products if they had purchased this outside of Singapore for personal consumption.
No Import of the Imperial Premier Quality Seed Mix
The UK Food Standards Agency has issued an alert to inform consumers that the Imperial Snack Foods Ltd has recalled a certain batch code of its Premier Quality Seed Mix, due to the presence of salmonella. The product recalled is Premier Quality Seed Mix, 150g with Batch code: 7236/7236f IM and Best Before date 24/08/08.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) confirms that there is no import of the Imperial Premier Quality Seed Mix into Singapore. Consumers are advised to discard the affected products if they had purchased this outside of Singapore for personal consumption.
No Import of the Nutri-Foods Organic Sesame Seeds Natural - Unhulled
Nutri-Foods, Inc. ("Nutri-Foods") of Royal Oak, Michigan, is recalling its "Organic Sesame Seeds Natural - Unhulled" due to possible salmonella contamination. The recalled "Organic Sesame Seeds Natural - Unhulled" were sold at Nutri-Foods, from circa December 15, 2007 through January 28, 2008. The product comes in a 0.50 pound clear plastic package with a product SKU #170 at the top and a "packed on" date of December 28.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) confirms that there is no import of the Nutri-Foods Organic Sesame Seeds Natural - Unhulled into Singapore. Consumers are advised to discard the affected product if they had purchased the product outside of Singapore for personal consumption.
No Import of Pokémon® Branded Valentine Cards and Pops™
Sherwood Brands LLC is voluntarily recalling approximately 400,000 packages of Pokémon® branded "Valentine Cards and Pops™" (Item# 073964209109 and Item# 073964289804), because of reports that metal fragments were found in two lollipops purchased in Florida. The products being recalled are packages of ten and thirty Pokémon branded Valentine cards and lollipops featuring a variety of characters.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) confirms that there is no import of the Pokémon® branded Valentine Cards and Pops™ into Singapore. Consumers are advised to discard the affected product if they had purchased the product outside of Singapore for personal consumption.
No Import of the Nutri-Foods Organic Sesame Seeds Natural - Unhulled
Nutri-Foods, Inc. ("Nutri-Foods") of Royal Oak, Michigan, is recalling its "Organic Sesame Seeds Natural - Unhulled" due to possible salmonella contamination. The recalled "Organic Sesame Seeds Natural - Unhulled" were sold at Nutri-Foods, from circa December 15, 2007 through January 28, 2008. The product comes in a 0.50 pound clear plastic package with a product SKU #170 at the top and a "packed on" date of December 28.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) confirms that there is no import of the Nutri-Foods Organic Sesame Seeds Natural - Unhulled into Singapore. Consumers are advised to discard the affected product if they had purchased the product outside of Singapore for personal consumption.
No Import of Pokémon® Branded Valentine Cards and Pops™
Sherwood Brands LLC is voluntarily recalling approximately 400,000 packages of Pokémon® branded "Valentine Cards and Pops™" (Item# 073964209109 and Item# 073964289804), because of reports that metal fragments were found in two lollipops purchased in Florida. The products being recalled are packages of ten and thirty Pokémon branded Valentine cards and lollipops featuring a variety of characters.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) confirms that there is no import of the Pokémon® branded Valentine Cards and Pops™ into Singapore. Consumers are advised to discard the affected product if they had purchased the product outside of Singapore for personal consumption.
No Import of the Pralus Brut de São Tomé - Barre de la Plantation Chocolate Bar
The UK Food Standards Agency has issued a Food Alert to inform consumers that Monmouth Coffee Company Ltd has recalled its Pralus Brut de São Tomé - Barre de la Plantation chocolate bar because the product might contain small metal pieces. The details of the affected product are described below.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) confirms that there is no import of the Pralus Brut de São Tomé - Barre de la Plantation chocolate bar into Singapore. Consumers are advised to discard the affected product if they had purchased the product outside of Singapore for personal consumption.
Product details:
· Pralus Brut de São Tomé – Barre de la Plantation Chocolate 160g
· All date codes
No Import of Rank Hovis Elephant Atta, Fassal and Goldcrest flour
The UK Food Standards Agency has issued a Food Alert pertaining to the recall of batches of Rank Hovis Elephant Atta, Fassal and Goldcrest flour due to possible presence of small metal pieces in the product. The products recalled are described below and only packs displaying lot codes ending with the letter H and starting with the first three digits 025, 026, 027, 028, 029, 030 or 031 are affected.
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) confirms that there is no import of the Rank Hovis Elephant Atta, Fassal and Goldcrest flour into Singapore. Consumers are advised to discard the affected products if they had purchased these products outside of Singapore for personal consumption.
· Elephant Atta White 10kg and 25kg
· Elephant Atta Brown 25Kg
· Elephant Atta Med H 10KG, 12.5KG and 25Kg
· Elephant Atta Wholemeal 10Kg and 25Kg
· Fassal Chapatti Light 25Kg
· Goldcrest SP 16Kg
No Import of Olivier Brand Parmesan & Asiago Dip With Garlic and Basil
The California Department of Public Health (CDPH) has issued a warning to consumers not to eat Olivier brand Parmesan & Asiago Dip with Garlic & Basil, manufactured by Olivier Olive Oil Products, Inc. of Saint Helena, because of the possibility of contamination with Clostridium botulinum. The recalled product is packaged in an 11.76 ounce jar and labeled with the lot numbers listed below :
· OPA 34171
· OPA 23471
· OAP 17271
· OAP 17671
· OAP 36061
· OAP 36161
· OPA 33961
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) confirms that there is no import of the Olivier brand Parmesan & Asiago Dip with Garlic and Basil into Singapore. Consumers are advised to discard the affected product if they had purchased the product outside of Singapore for personal consumption.
No Import of Raw Milk Cheese from Grassy Meadows Diary of Howe, Indiana