Food poisoning cases continue to remain low in Singapore, officials said.
Data are based on 2022 national food supply and food safety statistics published by the Singapore Food Authority (SFA).
Singapore relies heavily on imports. Livestock, meat and egg products are susceptible to contamination and can lead to food poisoning for consumers. As of 2022, 42 countries and territories are permitted to export these items to Singapore.
The SFA said it takes a risk-based approach to food safety in line with science-based and international standards to curb foodborne illness. In 2022, there will be 24 foodborne illnesses per 100,000 population compared to 25.6 in 2021.
Highlights for 2022
Data-driven inspections have enabled SFA to identify and target sites at high risk of food safety violations. The rate of non-compliance detected in retail stores increased from 7 percent in the second quarter of 2022 to 11 percent and 14 percent in subsequent quarters. The SFA said this has improved its ability to detect early non-compliance that could lead to the spread of infection.
From 2020 to 2022, the number of food samples tested increased by 28% to 327,555. There are 13 laboratories under SFA’s laboratory accreditation program. These laboratories not only serve the industry, but he also assisted SFA in testing 26 percent of the samples SFA collected.
Last year, SFA posted information on 28 food recalls. In 2021 he had 23 cases. In 2022, the top reasons for notification were chemicals, followed by allergens and microbial contamination.
SFA receives and investigates an average of 17,000 pieces of feedback each year. Many of these are related to problems such as gastroenteritis incidents, poor food handler hygiene practices, unsanitary facilities, and foreign objects in food.
SFA will take enforcement action against violating importers. In 2022, there were 108 warnings issued, 37 fines imposed and 5 lawsuits filed.
Enforcement example
In May, Chee Song Foods was fined $35,000 (US$26,000) in court for failing to arrange inspection, inspection and certification of its products by the Singapore Food Authority. Licensed meat importers were also penalized for selling frozen chicken on consignment before inspection. The company had imported 27,000 kilograms (59,500 pounds) of frozen chicken products in July 2022.
Also in May, Chop Wenhoi licensee Shim Yi Ziun was fined $5,800 (about $4,300) for illegally importing fresh and processed foods. In March 2022, Singapore Food Authority officials said Sim had imported 242 pounds of undeclared and underdeclared raw fruits and vegetables and 496 kg (1,100 pounds) of undeclared and minimally processed vegetables from Malaysia. discovered.
Chin Sam Chiap was fined $7,000 ($5,200) for illegally importing raw fruits and vegetables. The director, Ching Gang Chuyi, was also fined $5,000 ($3,700). In August 2022, a truck loaded with produce was stopped during operations by the SFA and the Immigration Checkpoint (ICA) and sent for inspection. An SFA investigation found that the company had illegally imported 176 kilograms (388 pounds) of excess and undeclared fruit and vegetables. Products from Malaysia were seized.
Atlantic Supply and Trading was fined $3,500 ($2,600) by a court for operating an unlicensed cold storage warehouse. Director Ang Yi Cheng was fined the same amount for failing to stop the violation. In September 2022, Singapore Food Authority officials found 1,585 kg (3,500 pounds) of meat and seafood in an unlicensed cold store during an inspection. Products containing poultry and fish were confiscated.
The Food Authority of Singapore also seized around 6.8 tonnes of food illegally imported from Thailand and Myanmar following raids carried out in multiple locations in May. Authorities found processed and raw meat, beef, pork, chicken, mutton, pig blood and silkworms inside the vehicle. These were imported from Thailand without a valid permit. Two men were found to be operating an unlicensed refrigeration store with three freezers in the warehouse.
After inspecting nine retail outlets, officers found eight of them selling processed and raw meat and insect products illegally imported from Thailand and Myanmar. These included duck, pork, mutton and crickets. Three sites were operating without a valid license.
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