Summary of the guidance update released by the Singapore Food Agency

Posted 5 October, 2022

On 26 September 2022, the Singapore Food Agency released an updated version of their guidance document. Our Technical Marketer, Dawn Botha has taken the time to highlight the important changes for our customers:

The SFA have paid a lot of attention to include extra sections regarding risk assessment as well as risk management of submissions.

A completely new section has been added regarding the safety assessments of biological substances used as media components. Our customers would benefit in reviewing Section 5 of this document which describes in detail the method that should be used to perform the safety assessments. This section also includes a flow chart that summarizes Sections A to C. This Section is very relevant to customer interested in production of cultured meat or seafood.

New self-assessment check lists for companies wanting to submit applications for novel foods derived from fermentations or cultured meat/seafood, have been included in the document and can be accessed here:

It is important to also attach the acknowledgement upon submissions to the application.

Section 10.2 and 10.3 looks at some new requirements needed for the taste testing of novel foods.

In the last section, a new registration form has been included which can be used by companies to book their attendance to the Novel Food Virtual Clinics hosted by the SFA on a bimonthly basis. These clinics facilitates engagement between novel food companies and the SFA. Important regulatory updates are shared here by the SFA.

We will be keeping a close eye on the SFA as they are making more noticeable progress in the field of novel foods and cultured meat/seafood.

The full update from 26 September 2022 can be accessed through this handy link.