Singapore to implement new food safety licensing regime for food outlets by 2023
Some 23,000 food establishments will come under the Safety Assurance for Food Establishments (SAFE) framework.
Singapore will introduce a new licensing regime for food outlets from 2023 aimed to provide better food safety assurance, the country’s food agency announced.
Aside from track records, the multi-year framework will take into account whether eateries appoint food hygiene officers, amongst other things.
Singapore Food Agency estimates that 23,000 food establishments will come under the Safety Assurance for Food Establishments (SAFE) framework, expected to start on January 1, 2023.
These include caterers, restaurants, bakeries and food manufacturers. Currently, they are graded either A, B, C or D, based on an annual assessment. The new framework will see the grading system replaced with bronze, silver and gold awards and will correspond with a three-, five-, or 10-year licence duration, respectively.
The higher the award tier, the longer the duration. New licensees or those who have less than two years without a major lapse will be given a one-year licence with no award.
"This is a better representation of the food establishment's consistent efforts in food safety assurance and can enable consumers to make better informed choices," SFA deputy chief executive Tan Lee Kim said in a media release.
To support the framework, SFA has also implemented a training framework for food establishments, who will be notified in 2022 of their award tiers based on their track record of food safety assurance.
From January 1, 2022, consumers can scan a QR code to check the food establishment’s track record instead of a displayed grade.
