Description
The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has completed a review of the Food Regulations and proposes the following amendments:
a) To delete the existing regulation 35 of the Food Regulations and substitute with the following new regulation 35 which provides a definition for ready-to-eat food:
>35 – (1) Ready-to-eat food shall comply with the microbiological standard specified in Parts I, II and III of the Eleventh Schedule.(2) In these Regulations, "ready-to-eat food" means food intended by the producer or the manufacturer for direct human consumption without the need for cooking or other forms of processing effective to eliminate or reduce to an acceptable level the micro-organisms of concern.
b) To delete the existing Eleventh Schedule of the Food Regulations and substitute with a new Eleventh Schedule which specifies the revised microbiological standard for ready-to-eat food:
>ELEVENTH SCHEDULEMICROBIOLOGICAL STANDARD FOR FOODPart I: Total Plate CountType of Food Colony forming unit/gram (cfu/g) Category 1Shelf-stable canned, retort and ultra-high temperature processed foods subjected to sterilisation or equivalent processing2 (solid foods)
Category 2: (a) Sweetened condensed milk (a) 3(b) Ready-to-eat foods (not in categories 1 & 4) in which most components are cooked without intention for further processing or heating before consumption; this may include pasteurised food which are shelf stable or may require refrigeration; or non-fermented dairy products and dairy-based desserts; or sauces; or bakery and confectionery products; or powdered foods (b) 5
Category 3: Ready-to-eat foods (not in categories 1, 2 and 4) that are consumed raw or that contain a significant amount of raw ingredients in the final food product 6
Category 4: Fresh fruits and vegetables, fruits and vegetables juices which have not been subjected to pasteurisation or equivalent processing, fermented food products, preserved food products (including salted or pickled food products), dried foods, yoghurts, ripened cheeses, foods containing probiotics; foods containing a significant portion of these ingredients in the final food product Not applicable
Category 5:All other ready-to-eat foods not specified above 5Part II: Coliforms and Escherichia coliType of Food Coliform count Escherichia coli countColony forming unit/ gram (cfu/g) Colony forming unit/ gram (cfu/g)Milk powder (including full-cream, half cream, skimmed milk and infant formula), buttermilk powder, pasteurised milk and ice cream2 102All other ready-to-eat food Not applicable 102Part III: PathogensPathogens Colony forming unit /gram (cfu/g)Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus 2Bacillus cereus 2Clostridium perfringens 2Vibrio parahaemolyticus Not detected in 25g(except for raw ready-to-eat seafood where limit is 102Vibrio vulnificusVibrio cholerae Not detected in 25gSalmonella spp. Not detected in 25gShigella spp. Not detected in 25gListeria monocytogenes Not detected in 25gCampylobacter spp. Not detected in 25gEscherichia coli O157:H7 Not detected in 25gAll other pathogens not stated above, including Streptococcus agalactiae (serotype III) Not detectedSingapore notes that the revised microbiological standard for ready-to-eat food would be trade facilitative for most products compared to the existing standard. Hence, we plan to implement the measure one month after the close of the comment period in November 2017. However, we are ready to provide a longer transition period if such a need is identified during the comment period.