Food Safety and Security Bill in the works, will give more clarity on novel foods

SINGAPORE – Greater clarity on the regulatory frameworks for emerging foods, such as cultivated meat and gene-edited crops, will be part of a Bill in the works to boost food safety and security here.

The Food Safety and Security Bill will also look into giving the Government the legal powers to better ensure the Republic’s food security, by bringing over existing powers for a rice stockpiling scheme, for instance, said Minister for Sustainability and the Environment Grace Fu on Friday.

She gave this update at the opening of the Singapore Food Agency’s (SFA) relocated National Centre for Food Science (NCFS) in Jurong East. 

The Rice Stockpile Scheme mandates that rice importers must keep a stockpile amount of the staple in government-designated warehouses. It helps to ensure an adequate supply of rice in the market.

Ms Fu said the Bill will bring together food-related provisions across eight existing Acts into one Act. Some existing regulations include the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act and the Sale of Food Act.

She did not say when the Bill will be tabled.

Meanwhile, SFA will consult the industry to enhance the requirements on food safety systems and processes.

“I look forward to hearing from and co-creating with our industry and community partners, to shape our new food legislation,” she said.

The Bill was first mentioned in Parliament in March 2021, and then Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Desmond Tan said the Bill would be tabled later that year.

The new five-storey NCFS at the International Business Park consolidates SFA’s food safety and science capabilities, which used to be housed in Perahu Road in Lim Chu Kang and the Health Sciences Authority building in Outram Park.

The centre was formed in 2019 and relocated to Jurong East in October 2022.

“The strategic consolidation of both food laboratories into a single location streamlines operations, improves accessibility for inspectors to submit samples for testing and provides greater accessibility for external collaborations and industry partnerships,” said SFA.

As the heart of SFA’s food safety regime is to prevent and act fast upon the spread of foodborne diseases, the centre provides expertise to execute follow-up actions during food safety incidents, the agency added. Those include enforcement, suspension of offending eateries and food recalls.

The radioactivity arm of the centre has also been stepping up testing of seafood from Japan and looking out for traces of radioactive contamination, amid global concerns about treated wastewater released from Japan’s stricken Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant.

The NCFS has made progress in enhancing its lab and research capabilities, said Ms Fu, citing its recent work on whole genome sequencing of germs to pinpoint the source of contamination and spread.

Ms Fu outlined a recent food poisoning outbreak where NCFS used whole genome sequencing – which is 10 per cent to 15 per cent more accurate than traditional lab techniques – to investigate what caused the outbreak.

“The same bacteria that was detected in the sick people was also found in the raw seafood, suggesting cross-contamination between raw and cooked food,” she said.

The centre has also devised methods to identify hazards in new food and food production systems. For example, NCFS can screen for unknown chemicals in leafy vegetables and fish grown with black soldier fly larvae.

In mid-2022, NCFS rolled out a van furnished with equipment to rapidly detect biological, chemical and radiological hazards at eateries or sites of foodborne incidents.

The centre will serve as a World Health Organisation (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Food Contamination Monitoring – to support WHO’s food safety initiatives in the Western Pacific region.