Koh Poh Koon
Singapore
“In 2025, for walk-in patients, the median and 95th percentile doctor consultation waiting times were eight minutes and 72 minutes respectively. However, the Ministry of Health (MOH) does not track waiting times by peak versus off-peak hours, but it is likely that 95th percentile waiting times happened during peak hours.”
“The offences and penalties for importing, supplying or abusing SPS products are similar to those in the MDA, to ensure similar level of deterrence. Mr Speaker, with your permission, may I ask the Clerks to distribute a handout that summarises the changes in legislative penalties for key offences.”
“So, if you are a Singaporean student, you will expect that there will be some subsidies to the fees. The third question on how can the public, who may want to seek psychological care, know who is legitimate.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for his question on audiologists. In general, a qualified audiologist in Singapore needs a higher level of certification because a diploma level may not be quite enough to perform the task. So, we will look and see whether there is a way to actually find an in-between.”
“We are starting with registration to give formal recognition to those who are practising in higher risk sub-sectors in psychology and making sure that the quality, the standards and the support is given to them to deliver the care that the clients and the patients need.”
“It takes a bit of, not just system change in the providers, in the doctors and the care teams, but also, a gradual shift in the mindset of our population as well. So, it is something that we have to continue to do. There is no magic bullet to this and it is not something we can achieve overnight. 12.15 pm”
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“Members may also access these materials through the MP@SGPARL App. As Members can see, jobseekers will be guided to complete meaningful activities like attending a career fair, updating their resume and going for career coaching. We have carefully curated these activities based on user research with jobseekers. Jobseekers have shared with us that the framework is useful in helping them to regain employment. This activities-based system is also designed to ensure that jobseekers do not have to go through this journey alone. They can tap on WSG's resources and speak to WSG's career coaches, allowing them to benefit from professional guidance. Through these touchpoints, jobseekers will be more assured that they are on the right track to re-entering employment. As jobseekers embark on these activities as part of their job search journey, we hope to build up their confidence. And when jobseekers eventually return to work, we hope they will regain their sense of identity and self-worth. Let me illustrate how the JS scheme will work. Take Mr Lim, who is retrenched from his job due to company restructuring. The Taskforce for Responsible Retrenchment and Employment Facilitation makes concerted efforts to reach out to all affected retrenched workers, such as Mr Lim, to offer career matching services. Through this, Mr Lim books an appointment with a WSG career coach who provides him with advice on job applications based on his skills. He also applies and joins the JS scheme following the advice from his career coach. During this period, Mr Lim makes use of the comprehensive employment facilitation support offered under the scheme, such as career coaching, SkillsFuture courses and career fairs.”
“This will help them to get through setbacks and bounce back stronger. We will be setting aside more than $200 million for the scheme and expect around 60,000 individuals to be eligible for the scheme each year. This accounts for more than 60% of those involuntarily unemployed. During my time as Deputy Secretary-General in the Labour Movement, I encountered brothers and sisters who faced retrenchment. Being retrenched can have a profound emotional impact, often triggering a mix of shock, fear, anger and even shame. Many shared with me that they experienced a deep sense of loss, not just of job or income but also of identity and purpose. Some may feel a loss of self-worth, especially if their job was tied closely to their sense of identity. During our Forward Singapore conversations, participants shared that instead of just giving handouts, a well-structured job seeking process that provides professional career facilitation support can help them regain their confidence as they navigate the job market. The JS Scheme is therefore more than just financial payouts and a job. It includes a simple and easy framework to guide jobseekers along the activities that they should embark on, to equip themselves to find a job and re-enter the working world with confidence. This framework, called the "jobseeker support activities-based system", will guide our jobseekers towards re-employment. Mr Yip Hon Weng and Mr Patrick Tay asked for more details on what the activities-based system will entail. With your permission, Mr Chairman, may I ask the Clerks to distribute a handout illustrating how this system will work.”
“We will need the strong support of employers to uplift the career health of our workers and will continue to explore new ways to enable employers to do this while meeting their business needs. For example, MOM and SkillsFuture Singapore rolled out the Careers and Skills Passport, and are working with partners, like JobStreet, to use Government-verified jobs and skills data to facilitate job application and hiring. We encourage HR practitioners to tap on these initiatives to better understand their employees' skills profile. This will support training, development and deployment, and better support your business growth. Few countries have invested in such a holistic and integrated set of efforts to support career planning and workforce development. This underscores our continued commitment to empower Singaporeans to thrive amid economic uncertainty. Even as our workers build their career health and make progress along their career plans, life, unfortunately, can present curveballs. In a more volatile economic environment, more may face career disruptions due to factors beyond one's control. Therefore, to empower those who lose their jobs involuntarily to bounce back into employment, the Prime Minister announced the SkillsFuture Jobseeker Support scheme (JS scheme) last year. The JS scheme is not just a safety net that stops one from falling but is instead designed to act as a trampoline that helps one to bounce back. Together with other SkillsFuture programmes, the JS scheme helps individuals better navigate their job search to regain employment, instead of rushing into ill-fitting jobs due to immediate financial pressures. The JS scheme targets lower- and middle-income workers, and will provide eligible jobseekers with financial support of up to $6,000 over six months.”
“In line with this recommendation, WSG has been piloting workshops for human resource (HR) professionals and line managers, to equip them to implement better-structured career conversations in their own organisations. The AfA also found that employers who implemented an internal marketplace to support talent visibility and internal mobility better retained talent. One of the AfA member firms, Salesforce, introduced a Talent Community Platform with personalised career recommendations, training and resources for employees to navigate career paths within the company. As a result, Salesforce enjoyed higher talent retention amidst fierce competition, with their employees better able to plan for their careers and upkeep their skills. MOM is working closely with tripartite and industry partners on resources to enable more employers, especially our SMEs, to implement their own internal marketplaces. For employers to implement these recommendations successfully, they will need to strengthen their HR to move beyond support functions to play a more strategic role in championing workforce transformation. This means taking proactive steps to identify critical and emerging skills, and charting plans to fill those gaps in their companies through hiring and workforce development. Employers can tap on resources by the Institute for Human Resource Professionals, such as their job redesign playbook, to meet these increased demands on HR. We will continue to support employers to strengthen HR capabilities under the Tripartite Workgroup on Human Capital Capability Development that the Minister just announced.”
“Employers too, must play a role. Investing in career health is a win-win for employers and workers. Employers who do so can better attract and retain talent, sharpen their competitive edge and grow their businesses. Assoc Prof Razwana Begum asked how we can support employers to promote lifelong learning and skills development for their employees. The Government has continued to strengthen support for employers to invest in the career health of their workers, such as through WSG's CCPs. These programmes have resulted in tangible career outcomes for employees. A recent study by MOM economists found that the Place-and-Train CCPs increased participants' wages by more than 2% in the year of placement, with the impact rising to over 6% in the subsequent years. Participants also improved their employment retention compared to non-participants. This shows that our efforts to reskill workers have an extended, positive impact on their wages and career longevity. Beyond supporting employers, we are also working hand-in-hand with employers to co-develop effective solutions. Last year, MOM and the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) concluded the Alliance for Action (AfA) on Widening Access to Talent, which worked with businesses, and trade associations and chambers to develop practical solutions for skills-based hiring and workforce agility. A key recommendation was to build employers' capabilities to guide employees in developing their skills and careers. This entailed providing resources for employers to engage their employees in meaningful career development conversations.”
“45 am We are pleased to share that we have extended the use of the base tier of SkillsFuture Credits, which comprises the $500 opening credit and the one-off $500 top-up that was given in 2020, to all eligible career guidance services endorsed by Workforce Singapore (WSG). For a start, these credits can be used to offset Polaris' fees. The list of endorsed providers will be expanded progressively, to help workers access quality career guidance. Beyond career guidance, Mr Gerald Giam also emphasised the importance of quality career matching services. As announced by the Prime Minister at the Budget, we will be expanding localised job matching to all Community Development Councils. This will enable jobseekers to find work near their homes to help them to balance work with personal commitments. This will contribute to the diverse range of services in the employment facilitation landscape. These services support all jobseekers, including those returning after a career break. The services include: (a) career matching services offered by WSG’s Careers Connect, NTUC's Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) Career Centres, and Jobs and Skills Centres; as well as (b) services provided by WSG's appointed career-matching providers, like Ingeus and AKG. WSG also works with employers to reskill and place individuals into good growth jobs under programmes, like the Career Conversion Programmes (CCPs) and Mid-Career Pathways Programme. In 2024 alone, these programmes placed more than 56,000 jobseekers into jobs. Through these efforts, we hope to empower our workers to achieve their career goals. Workers must also play their part to proactively upkeep their skills, regularly review their career plans and seize good job opportunities at every stage of their careers.”
“Mr Gerald Giam highlighted the need to go beyond digital tools to support jobseekers with personalised and effective career coaching. For those who prefer in-person guidance, we have taken steps to make quality career guidance more accessible. We have piloted Polaris, where employed individuals can receive personalised career guidance from professionally certified career coaches. Since November 2023, Polaris has benefited more than 620 individuals. Over 90% reported gaining clearer direction and higher confidence in planning their own careers. One such participant is Ms Joanne Wang, the Regional Head of Marketing at Timezone. At 39, Joanne signed up for Polaris to better plan for her career and improve her management skills. With advice from her WSG career coach, she decided to pick up professional coaching to further develop herself and her team. In doing so, she boosted her team performance and her own career satisfaction. Jobseekers can also receive support from WSG’s Volunteer Career Advisors, who draw from their own industry expertise to provide peer-level support and career advisory. Under this initiative, individuals can receive sector- and occupation-specific insights to help them plan for their career or transition into new roles. We also want to make quality career guidance even more accessible to all workers. Some may hesitate to go for career guidance because they are concerned about the cost and are uncertain about the quality of service providers. Mr Patrick Tay and Mr Yip Hon Weng proposed to allow the use of SkillsFuture Credits for career coaching. 10.”
“Well, just as we look after our physical health by eating healthily, exercising regularly and having periodic medical check-ups, we encourage all Singaporeans to take charge of their own career health through three simple steps. First, assess. Just as we go for regular health screenings, we should regularly assess our career prospects and skillsets. Instead of waiting till something goes wrong, we should take proactive steps to identify our skills gaps and career opportunities. Second, chart. Just as we develop exercise and diet routines, we should chart our career and training goals. We need to constantly review and update these career plans based on changes in the labour market and our stage of life. Finally, execute. We need to act on our plans to seek better jobs, upgrade our skills and stay competitive in the job market. So, assess, chart, execute – or ACE. By taking these three steps to take charge of one’s career health, we can ace our careers with better jobs, better wages and greater resilience. To empower workers in this three-step journey, we are supporting our workers with jobs and skills insights to help them make informed training and career decisions. The CareersFinder feature on the MyCareersFuture portal is one example of this. CareersFinder harnesses Government data and artificial intelligence (AI) to provide workers with personalised guidance and recommendations for suitable jobs based on their skills and expertise, and training opportunities based on their career goals. More than 55,000 individuals have used CareersFinder since its launch. We have seen encouraging signs of users broadening their job search horizons. Users have applied for a wider range of occupations, almost 40% more, after using CareersFinder.”
“Mr Chairman, I will now speak about the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM's) efforts to empower workers to build career health at all stages of their lives. I will touch on four groups: first, for the broad base of workers, we will help you build up your career health and resilience; second, for those who lose their jobs involuntarily, we will support you to bounce back into employment; third, for our senior workers, we will do more to uplift your productive longevity; fourth, for our migrant workers, we will continue to support and improve their well-being. Our workers start from a good position. In the past year, we have enjoyed higher-than-expected economic growth and favourable labour market outcomes. Resident employment grew and median real income rose in 2024, reversing the previous year’s decline. We must continue to embrace innovation so that workers can progress into better jobs and businesses can generate growth that uplifts all Singaporeans. We must also develop a future-ready workforce that can navigate changes in the job landscape and compete for good jobs. Let me start with how we are supporting the broad base of workers to build their career health. Forward SG identified career agility and resilience as a key focus in our refreshed social compact. In this age of change and disruption, we need better awareness of our career prospects, keep our skills relevant, stay on top of the competition and seize new opportunities. To empower our workers to do so, we have launched Career Health SG, a nationwide initiative to help workers take charge of their careers and achieve their career aspirations. How do we take charge of our career health?”
“45 pm While I am glad that some hawkers have benefited from this scheme, we acknowledge that such a scheme may be operationally difficult to accommodate for other hawkers, depending on their business models, as the Member has highlighted in his speech. We will continue to assess our policies to assist our hawkers and ensure alignment with operating realities. We also support aspiring hawkers to boost their chances of success. NEA does this through the Incubation Stall Programme, Hawkers’ Development Programme, and Hawkers Succession Scheme. Ms Nadia Samdin will be glad that by end-2024, over 100 aspiring hawkers have moved on to complete apprenticeships under hawker mentors. NEA has also allocated nearly 100 pre-fitted incubation stalls with reduced rent, to help aspiring hawkers kickstart their businesses. Our hawker landscape will continue evolving with the times. We will continue to review our policies and support programmes to ensure they can meet the interests of Singaporeans, our hawkers and other stakeholders, amid changing needs and expectations. Mr Chairman, food will remain central to Singapore’s resilience and our daily lives. As we forge ahead, we will continue adapting our strategies and uncovering new opportunities to ensure our food systems remain secure and our hawker culture continues to thrive. These will entail a collective effort from the Government, our industry partners and every Singaporean. Together, we can ensure a vibrant and resilient future for many generations to come.”
“Hence, we recently extended the duration for decreasing monthly stall rent from the bid price to the assessed market rate after the initial tenancy period by one more tenancy term. As we monitor outcomes, we are concurrently taking steps to encourage more informed and realistic bidding. To guide tenderers, NEA now shares the median assessed market rent for centres with vacant stalls, in NEA's tender exercises since last month. NEA will also launch an online self-help tool, which can help tenderers understand the costs involved in running a hawker stall. We also recognise hawkers' challenges in hiring stall assistants. Since January this year, we relaxed our manpower policy for hawker centres managed by NEA and NEA-appointed operators and are monitoring the impact. Enhancing productivity is another sustainable approach to manage manpower constraints and where we can leverage on technology as Mr Eric Chua suggests. For example, centralised dishwashing and cleaning process automation like tray conveyance systems can improve centre-wide productivity and are supported under NEA's Productive Hawker Centres programme. Also, under NEA's Hawkers’ Productivity Grant, we have disbursed over $3.4 million by end-2024 to co-fund hawkers in adopting stall-level automation equipment and digital solutions, like e-ordering and kitchen management systems. We will continue identifying and supporting practical technologies that can alleviate hawkers' challenges. Mr Eric Chua also suggested the two-shift system to optimise stall utilities. Hawkers can already do this today through NEA's Joint Operator Scheme, which allows eligible stallholders and their appointed joint operators to share stall operating hours without overlapping. 4.”
“To Ms Hany Soh's question, NEA is working closely with other agencies to dovetail with estate development plans and ensure local communities' needs are well-served. We will carefully examine our options and share more details when ready. Mr Pritam Singh asked about the future of markets. Of the over 7,000 such stalls in 83 markets managed under NEA, occupancy rates remained relatively stable at around 96% in recent years. Nonetheless, consumer patterns have shifted with changing demographics and availability of alternatives, like supermarkets and online retailers. NEA will assess local community needs and the availability of market produce, to determine the development plans of wet markets under HUP 2.0. Beyond the physical space, our hawker centres are also where our hawkers who, as masters of their craft, are the heart and soul of our hawker culture. In commemoration of SG60 and to appreciate our hawkers, the Minister for Finance has announced a one-time rental support of $600 this year, for each stall in hawker centres and markets managed by the Government and Government-appointed operators. As a nation, we share a joint responsibility to ensure that our hawker culture continues to thrive. The Government will lead by setting policies to support and sustain the hawker trade. This includes providing a conducive business environment, ensuring the trade remains attractive and nurturing a new generation of hawkers. To Mr Eric Chua and Ms Nadia Samdin's questions, indeed, as circumstances change, we need to review and adjust our policies. For instance, we saw the need to discourage excessively high tender bids for NEA-managed hawker centre stalls.”
“Bukit Batok West Hawker Centre will feature 22 cooked food stalls and over 400 seats, while Punggol Coast Hawker Centre will introduce 40 stalls and over 680 seats. Both are designed for a pleasant dining environment, featuring high ceilings with improved ventilation, spacious seating areas and connectivity to surrounding facilities. As we progressively complete the remaining centres in the upcoming years, we are also looking beyond that. We plan to build another five new hawker centres to ensure more residents in underserved estates can access affordable and delicious hawker food. NEA will announce more details when ready. Besides building new hawker centres, we have invested in upgrading our existing infrastructure in addition to cyclical renovation works. We last embarked on a nationwide Hawker Centres Upgrading Programme (HUP), over 20 years ago to upgrade and rebuild almost 100 centres. More recently, we piloted the Hawker Centres Transformation Programme at two centres in Cheng San and Geylang Serai to improve hygiene conditions and address persistent infrastructural concerns. I am glad that Ms Nadia Samdin found it helpful, through works like improving seating layout to minimise crowding and enhancing ventilation with new fittings. The experiences we gained will inform our next bound, under HUP 2.0. As outlined by Minister Grace Fu, HUP 2.0 seeks to meet Singaporeans' evolving needs by upgrading older hawker centres or rebuilding, for some, into more vibrant, accessible and climate-resilient spaces. Upgrading and building hawker centres are extensive endeavours that we are planning ahead and implementing progressively for the next 20 to 30 years.”
“In May 2024, SAFEF launched the "SG Farmers' Market" and "The Straits Fish" product lines in selected FairPrice outlets, aggregating locally-farmed vegetables and marine tilapia respectively to make them more accessible to consumers, especially those in the heartlands. By last month, sales have increased about five-fold for local xiao bai cai and two-fold for processed local fish products. I am very heartened by the public response. SAFEF is now working with our farmers and industry partners to launch even more products. Beyond FairPrice outlets, consumers can also find "SG Farmers' Market” vegetables at Sheng Siong supermarkets starting this month. More food businesses are recognised under the Farm-to-Table Recognition Programme, for their commitment to procure locally-produced, locally-farmed ingredients. Since launching in 2023, membership has grown steadily to 101 establishments by January this year. SFA will continue to encourage more businesses to come onboard this programme. Sir, let me now shift gears to another food-related topic. With SG60, we also mark the fifth year of the inscription of Singapore's hawker culture onto the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Our hawker centres form the heart of our hawker culture. Minister Grace Fu explained why we must look ahead to update our hawker centre landscape. This builds on our progress thus far. In the 2010s, we restarted building 20 new hawker centres after a hiatus to address Singaporeans' needs in estates underserved by food and beverage options. Today, 14 are in operation. I am also pleased to announce that two new hawker centres are opening in the first half of this year.”
“Nonetheless, farms should assess the farming methods and solutions most appropriate for their operating model and constraints, accounting for the need to be commercially viable, climate-resilient and resource-efficient. Generally, SFA provides technical resources on agriculture technologies, and have account managers who can further assist and advise farmers on growth areas and development plans. To better address our farmers' diverse and emerging needs, SFA has enhanced the ACT Fund, incorporating their feedback. The enhancements will provide farms with more comprehensive coverage, to include expenses, such as marketing and branding; and expanded funding scope to cover standalone pre- and post-harvest production facilities. To provide farms more time to harness technology and innovation, SFA will also extend the maximum project funding duration from 27 to 36 months. As Miss Rachel Ong highlighted, local businesses seeking to innovate may need grants and other support, beyond research grants. Agri-food businesses can also access Enterprise Singapore's initiatives, like the Enterprise Development Grant and Startup SG, which finance innovation projects and capabilities. For our farms to achieve scale, they also need sustained demand. This is where strong support from the industry and consumers can help strengthen our Singapore Food Story. Under our Alliance for Action to encourage increased offtake for local produce, the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprise Federation (SAFEF) is expanding its work as a supply and demand aggregator.”
“To Ms Nadia Samdin's question on keeping our marine environment clean, let me explain that all farms are required by licence to maintain clean and sanitary conditions. With the Farm Management Plan, introduced under the Food Safety and Security Act passed in Parliament this January, we also require licensees undertaking primary production activities to adopt means to mitigate food safety risks, disease spread and ensure sustainable production. To support our farms to be more productive and climate-resilient, SFA provides funding through the Agri-Food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund. To address Mr Shawn Huang and Mr Dennis Tan's questions, the ACT Fund supports farms to adopt farming solutions for diverse needs, from small-scale trials to larger commercial systems, with over $28 million awarded to 43 companies by the end of 2024. Each application proposal is assessed holistically, considering its merits and ability to contribute to our food resilience. One example is Blue Ocean Aquaculture Technology. Supported by the earlier iteration of the ACT Fund, they developed an indoor recirculating aquaculture system to farm various fish species in higher densities, with a lower footprint and regardless of climate or external environmental changes. Another example, Yili Farm, has also benefitted from funding to construct an intensive soil and hydroponics farming system, achieving resource efficiencies. Mr Dennis Tan raised some suggestions on adopting permaculture principles and deploying natural solutions like aquatic plants, to improve climate resilience. Permaculture, in particular, tends to require extensive land space, which might not be as well-suited for local production in Singapore.”
“We will share more details after our review. Ms Nadia Samdin asked about the initiatives announced in the Singapore Aquaculture Plan, which we refreshed last year, bringing stakeholders together to chart a shared roadmap to uplift our aquaculture sector. Under the plan, we are spearheading efforts to strengthen the supply resilience of agri-inputs, which are vital for our farms. In aquaculture, agri-inputs constitute up to 60% of the farms' production costs. Quality eggs and fingerlings form a key priority. However, with the inconsistent quality our farmers use today, fish mortalities can go up to 80%, impacting the downstream yield. The newly-established National Broodstock Centre (NBC) and Hatchery Development and Recognition Programme will supply to our farms genetically superior eggs and fingerlings, with higher survival and grow-out rates. SFA will work with local hatcheries to uplift their capabilities and gain accreditation under the programme, which allows them to access superior fish eggs from the NBC. The programme will first focus on Asian seabass, commonly produced and consumed by Singaporeans. SFA is in the process of training and accrediting a few seabass hatcheries. SFA's work is also underway to study potential sites for the hybrid sea farming model, in close consultation with Government agencies, the industry, researchers and nature groups. Identifying and allocating appropriate sites is not easy. It demands significant time and resources, given our limited sea space, competing uses and needing to mitigate environmental impact. Broadly, we will continue to avail space for farming by launching land and sea tenders progressively. SFA will announce tender details along the way.”
“Today, less than 10% of the food we consume is produced locally. When we conceived this vision in 2019, it was aspirational. The agri-food business climate then was more benign, with stronger investor interest, lower interest rates and lower energy prices. Now, the global food industry outlook has become less favourable, with dwindling investments in urban agri-food technology and alternative proteins and geopolitical tensions exacerbating uncertainties around energy costs. Local farms will continue to face inherent structural challenges, in this early stage when their production facilities have yet to achieve sufficient scale. A key challenge is high production costs in Singapore, given limited land and a tight labour force. This is exacerbated by strong price competition from imported produce, which enjoy lower production costs. For our farms to scale, we need to help them improve productivity and lower costs, while increasing consumer demand for local produce. Navigating these complex issues will require time, effort and close partnership across the Government, our industry and consumers. Despite these challenges, our capacity and capability to produce food locally has grown, and some food types have shown early successes. Locally-produced hen eggs and beansprouts now contribute 30% and 50% of our local consumption respectively. SFA is continuously assessing our progress and our initiatives' relevance in growing our local agri-food sector, gaining experience along the way. Ms Nadia Samdin asked whether we are reviewing Singapore's 30-by-30 goal. Indeed, we are reviewing our local production strategy to be more focused and targeted in addressing key challenges of productivity, costs and demand, and in fostering the sector's continued growth.”
“Mdm Chair, I will speak now on our approach to strengthen our food resilience and safeguard our hawker culture. As a country that imports over 90% of our food, Singapore will not be spared from global food supply disruptions. These can arise from disease outbreaks, climate change and geopolitical tensions. In safeguarding our food resilience, diversifying our import sources remains our core strategy. Today, we import from 187 countries, up from just 140 around two decades back. When accrediting food imports, SFA takes a risk-based approach. While products with low food safety risks do not require accreditation, SFA accredits higher-risk food products, like meat and egg products, in line with international practice. Since December 2024, SFA has streamlined this process, in line with the work of the Inter-Ministerial Committee on Pro-Enterprise Rules Review, by accrediting at a broader food category level instead of by food products. This expands our import product range and improves business efficiency. But our food resilience cannot and does not hinge on one single strategy; it requires a multi-pronged approach. One complementary strategy is to maintain adequate food stocks to tide over supply disruptions, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, stockpiling alone is insufficient. For perishable essentials like fibre, long-term storage is challenging, involving inventory and logistics costs. 4.30 pm [Mr Speaker in the Chair] This is why we develop some capacity and capability for local production. It complements our diversification strategy and stockpiling strategy with a regenerative characteristic, allowing us to continue producing food during supply disruptions. Ms Nadia Samdin asked about the progress of our "30-by-30" vision.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for his question. The CDC Voucher Scheme is not administered by my Ministry. But just from anecdotal experience, even from within my own constituency, I do see that quite a number of residents spend their vouchers at many of our hawker stalls. By looking at the spending patterns, we know which hawker stalls are a lot more popular with residents as well, because they spend a lot more of their vouchers at these hawker stalls. So, I would say if I can extrapolate from that simple experience, I would think that the CDC Voucher Scheme does have an impact on bringing financial support to these hawkers through the spending patterns of our residents. And I am sure at the Budget, more may be announced.”
“SFA works closely with the industry to develop capabilities in various areas, from food safety measures to growing local produce. SFA also has public outreach programmes to educate the public about food safety and resilience matters, for example, the steps the public can take during food disruptions. That said, regulations are important. Regulations can provide greater clarity, assurance and public trust, which can, in turn, promote industry development and build an innovative ecosystem. Let me conclude. Building food safety and security is a long-term endeavour, one that requires the collective effort of the Government, industry and consumers. The COVID-19 pandemic and recent geopolitical tensions have laid bare the fragility of global food supply chains. I thank Members for recognising the importance of taking steps to assure our nation's food resilience, particularly in the face of emerging challenges. This Bill provides a solid foundation for all stakeholders to continue to work together towards a safe and secure food supply in Singapore.”
“I understand Members' concern about the potential cost impact of these requirements, especially for small businesses. First, the implementation of the various measures in the Bill will be staged. Second, the Bill provides flexibility for SFA to take a calibrated approach in imposing requirements to suit the operating context of different types of food businesses. For example, some licensed food businesses will be required to have a Food Control Plan and the components of the plan for smaller-scale operations would be much fewer and simpler than that for larger-scale operations like food caterers. In prosecuting food safety lapses, SFA will also consider the impact on public health, such as the number of people affected, in prosecutions. Finally, many of the requirements will not be new to businesses and are already implemented today. The simplification and consistency that the Bill brings would reduce regulatory complexity for businesses, which would reduce the cost and compliance costs. As I mentioned earlier, the food security requirements would also help businesses strengthen their resilience. I had also shared some of the support measures SFA would implement to support the industry through the transition, such as guidance documents and training. Businesses which need support in implementing systems, such as inventory management systems, could tap productivity-boosting technological solutions, such as the Industry Digital Plans launched by the Infocomm Media Development Authority and the Productivity Solutions Grant. Ms Carrie Tan pointed out that collaborating with citizens would be beneficial for food resilience and asked if there are plans to evolve SFA's role beyond that of a regulator. In fact, SFA today already plays a role beyond that of a regulator.”
“Public consultation also took place in tranches between March and September 2024. MSE and SFA received feedback from 112 respondents via REACH and 260 participants who attended the in-person engagement sessions. Public consultations on health promotion and marketing offences, led by MOH, received feedback from 17 respondents via REACH. There was general support for the Bill's provisions and most comments related to clarifications on the scope of the requirements, for example, the responsibilities imposed on food delivery companies and when the new requirements would take effect. SFA published responses to these questions on 11 November 2024. We have incorporated the feedback received in the Bill, where relevant. For example, we amended the definition of novel food for clarity by excluding food additives; and including a qualifier that material of mineral origin, such as rock salt, will not be considered novel food. This was in response to clarifications from the industry on the definition of "novel food". We included a provision to allow Minister to declare by order in the Gazette any substance or a mixture of substances that are not plant pesticides. This would allow the exclusion of predatory insects, predatory mites, parasitoids and nematodes that prey on and eliminate plant insects, from the definition of "plant pesticides". Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked about the likely impact to the industry arising from the additional requirements and how the Government plans to facilitate the industry's transition towards the new regulatory framework. Mr Don Wee also asked if SFA will provide guidance, subsidies or transitional support to ease the burden of compliance costs on small food businesses to transition to the updated food safety regime.”
“SFA will provide the necessary support to help existing farms adjust to the requirement to have an FMP, such as through SFA's collaboration with Temasek Polytechnic's Aquaculture Innovation Centre to conduct training to guide farms and the rolling out of the Aquatic Animal Health Service in August 2023. Additionally, we have worked with the Singapore Standards Council on the development of Good Agricultural Practice, Good Aquaculture Practice, and Clean and Green standards. These standards will provide valuable guidance that farms can refer to when developing and implementing their FMPs. I thank Members, Ms He Ting Ru and Mr Keith Chua, for their remarks on local production. While this is out of the scope of FSSB, I want to assure Members that SFA is committed to supporting our local farms to grow food in a productive, climate-resilient and resource-efficient way. Over the years, we have increased support to our farms for energy-efficiency and productivity transformation. We will also continue to support the industry in achieving greater offtake of local produce through various initiatives, such as working with the Singapore Agro-Food Enterprises Federation Limited to facilitate long-term commercial contracts between farmers and food businesses. Third, on how we will support the industry and collaborate with stakeholders in the transition towards the updated food safety and security regime. Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked about the concerns raised during consultation with the industry and how SFA and MSE incorporated the feedback into the Bill. SFA has been engaging the industry since 2023 via a series of in-person engagement sessions, during the drafting of the Bill. A total of 1,500 companies, associations and entities have been consulted.”
“Mr Yip Hon Weng asked if the FMP will end up incurring higher costs for our local farms to adhere to the requirements. Under the new approach, as proposed under the Bill, farms are not constrained by prescriptive requirements to ensure food safety in their primary production activity. Instead, the farms are empowered to design and implement an FMP tailored to the specific needs of their business. In my opening speech, I mentioned that farmers will need to come up with their methods and processes addressing the key areas of waste, feed, fish stocking, biosecurity and disease management. Clearly, failing to plan is planning to fail. Our aquaculture farms have been hit by toxic algal blooms before and would know the devastation that this causes. With better management of farms, we expect that farms would be far less likely to experience such incidents. The FMP would also be important to promote sustainable farm practices and the long-term viability of farm sites. Aquaculture players I spoke to agreed that a well-managed fish farm that protects the marine environment will also ensure the safety of other nearby farms and protect the industry as a whole. After all, they all share the same body of water. Farms are responsible for ensuring the processes in their FMP are followed. Farms can revise the FMP, subject to SFA's agreement, to adapt to changing conditions or operational needs. This flexibility helps farms to stay resilient and responsive to evolving challenges while maintaining necessary standards. Earlier, I also mentioned that the FMP implementation will be phased to allow time for transition.”
“If there is a need to extend MSR to other food items or agri-food production inputs, we will engage the relevant stakeholders before doing so and give MSR entities sufficient lead time to comply with the requirements. Before the MSR is imposed, SFA will support relevant MSR entities in making preparations to ensure that they have the capacity to meet their MSR obligations. Currently, the Government already works closely with the industry to maintain rice stocks under the Rice Stockpile Scheme. This has served us well by ensuring that Singaporeans never face shortage, even during the COVID-19 pandemic when supply chains were disrupted. For rice importers, the transitioning of the Rice Stockpile Scheme to the MSR scheme should pose minimal compliance burden to them. Rather, the design of the MSR, such as the "daily MSR" and the "average MSR", aims to provide the industry with more operational flexibility. This will allow the rice importers to more effectively manage and churn their rice stocks, which will help to reduce wastage. Given that the rice stocks are commercially-owned, it will be in the commercial interest of the MSR entities to do so. Ultimately, stockpiling provides a cushion against food supply disruptions and provides some degree of assurance to Singaporeans. It also enhances our ability to manage the impacts of food supply disruptions by buying us time for supply chains to recover or to bring in alternative supplies. Such a scheme is akin to an insurance policy for food security and must naturally come with an insurance premium. The Government will review our food supply resilience situation regularly to ensure a careful balance between how we deploy MSR to meet our national food security needs and the potential costs to the industry.”
“Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Mr Louis Ng and Mr Dennis Tan asked about the factors that MSE or SFA would consider in imposing MSR on entities dealing with essential food items other than rice, or agri-food production inputs; and in fixing the MSR quantity. Mr Dennis Tan and Ms He Ting Ru also asked on the types of food which will be required to be maintained under the MSR, and if medium-term guidance can be given to MSR entities. Mr Yip Hon Weng and Mr Dennis Tan expressed concern with the potential impact of MSR on the food industry, including local farms and importers. Mr Louis Ng also asked if the Ministry would put in place measures to ensure that MSR does not increase the risk of food wastage. In deciding whether to require certain industry players to hold a certain level of foods or agri-food production inputs in Singapore to mitigate the risk of agri-food supply disruptions, the DG (FS) will consider matters that can affect the supply resilience of essential food items or agri-food production inputs in Singapore. These matters are outlined in clause 18(1) and clause 25 and includes food security factors such as global food availability, local production capacity, and range of supply sources, which can affect the supply of the item, as well as local consumption patterns and preferences, which can influence the demand of the item. This will enable us to subject essential food items or agri-food production inputs to stockpiling requirements, if the need arises in the future. And as I had shared earlier, there are no immediate plans to extend MSR to entities other than rice importers, or to commodities beyond rice.”
“Ms Jean See asked about SFA's plans to ensure that food business licence applicants are made aware of and geared up to implement the Food Control Plan requirements. Currently, food businesses are already required to meet prescriptive requirements to ensure food safety as part of their licensing requirements. Under the Bill, food businesses that are prescribed to require a Food Control Plan will have the flexibility to decide on the preventative measures suited to their operational needs, and this should not add significant compliance burden to them. SFA will also provide information and guidance documents to facilitate compliance to regulations. Ms Jean See asked if SFA takes into consideration past employment contraventions of food business licence applicants while assessing their suitability to operate food businesses. Yes, that will certainly be the case. As per clause 92, SFA will consider, among other factors, whether the applicant has been subject to regulatory action or convicted of relevant offences; whether the applicant or their associate is or was disqualified from holding the same licence or another licence; as well as the applicant's compliance history as it relates to the licensable food business. Mr Yip Hon Weng asked about the necessity of separating the health promotion provisions from the Sale of Food Act and including them in the Bill. Minister of State Rahayu has addressed this in her opening speech earlier. So, I will not further talk about this. Second, on how the Bill will help us to prepare for emerging challenges in safeguarding food security. There were a number of questions on the MSR. I will take them together here.”
“In accordance with the Animals and Birds (Prevention of Avian Disease in Non-commercial Poultry) Rules, no person shall keep more than 10 non-commercial poultry in any premise to mitigate the risk of spread of avian disease and to safeguard human and animal health. So, that explains why there are some prohibitions in place. Mr Don Wee expressed concern on the impact of food recalls on small businesses and asked if the Ministry could introduce assistance schemes to help them recover and stay operational. I thank Mr Wee for his question. And indeed, food recalls, while necessary to ensure that food products that are found to be unsafe for consumption do not remain in the market, can have costly consequences for food businesses, affecting their reputation, productivity and profit margin. The potential impact from recalls would hopefully encourage greater vigilance by businesses. Traceability and record-keeping can help minimise the cost impact from recalls as they would be better able to identify the affected products and avoid having to recall more than necessary. The FSSB takes a calibrated approach by requiring only businesses that are key food distribution nodes to take on traceability and record-keeping, but businesses are encouraged to do so even if it is not required under the law. Apart from strengthening food product traceability, food manufacturers, importers and distributors can scrutinise and verify partners and processes within their supply chain and ensure that food products comply with the relevant regulations, for example, food safety standards and proper labelling. These proactive actions can help to mitigate the likelihood of recalls.”
“Those who are interested can find out more on NParks' GardeningSG portal. Ms Carrie Tan gave the example of chickens being used in farms to help till soil and provide organic fertiliser, and asked about the considerations behind exempting licensing for community gardens only when their monthly production volume is less than 200 kilogrammes and there is no use of human excreta, or raw animal or bird excreta as manure, as well as pesticides, during the cultivation process. SFA's principal consideration in regulating primary production activity is to minimise the risks to human health from agri-food production inputs including fertilisers. We consider a monthly production volume of 200 kilogrammes per month or less as small scale, which limits the extent of the potential food safety impact. As I explained before, we are taking a risk-based approach. Regarding pesticides, there is a potential food safety risk from the transfer of harmful chemical residues and other contaminants to humans from the consumption of plants that are cultivated with the unsafe use of pesticides. Pesticide misuse is a food safety concern and hence, the registration of pesticides used on edible plants and the certification of pesticide operators are covered under Part 11. Lastly, the use of human excreta or raw animal or bird excreta as farm manure is prohibited to minimise food safety risks related to microbial contamination. Ms Carrie Tan also asked if wild chickens can be integrated into community gardens to support local farming efforts. This matter is outside the scope of the Bill, but I will briefly address the question, with the Speaker's permission, of course, so as to keep this debate relevant to the House.”
“It may not be reasonable to expect new food workers entering the industry to know what kind of training is required. Ensuring trained food workers is not a new responsibility for food businesses. Currently, licensed food businesses are already required to ensure their workers are trained before deploying them. That said, we agree that food workers also have a responsibility in ensuring food safety. So, I want to assure Mr Don Wee that even while we are decriminalising failure by food worker to attend food handling training, clause 130 will allow the DG (FA), in appropriate cases, to issue directions directly to the food worker to enable targeted interventions where the food safety lapse is due entirely to the worker. This includes undergoing training or re-training. The food worker directed will be committing an offence by refusing to go for the training. Ms Carrie Tan asked about our position on the sharing of produce from community gardens. Whether this is considered as "supply" under the Bill would depend on the context. In general, community gardens are small in scale and growers typically keep the produce for personal consumption. They may also sometimes share the fruits of their labour with their families and friends. The Bill makes an exception for such situations, as outlined in clause 8. Those who produce edible plants at a larger scale, for sale or to distribute to others whom they do not have a personal relationship with, will be considered to be engaged in the activity of "supply". The food safety and suitability requirements would hence apply to such groups. Ms Carrie Tan also asked if there are guidelines for those in the community who grow and share food. NParks publishes online, good food safety practices when growing edibles.”
“While there is no requirement to be licensed, home-based food businesses must not sell unsafe food or food prepared under unsanitary conditions. Directions can be given to a home-based food business to stop its activities if they are assessed to threaten food safety. This is the law today and the FSSB does not change this. In addition, clause 104 prohibits an unlicensed food business from undertaking certain activities. These disallowed activities will be set out by SFA in regulations. These will consist of higher risk activities such as the supply of sashimi, which is uncooked. The best way for home-based food businesses to ensure that food prepared and sold is safe for consumption is to observe food safety practices. SFA has provided guidelines on food safety and hygiene practices for home-based food businesses online, and I encourage home-based food businesses to refer to them. Home-based food businesses are also encouraged to enrol in food safety courses to be equipped with essential food safety knowledge and skills for correct food handling. A list of these courses, including those that are subsidised for Singapore Citizens and Permanent Residents by SkillsFuture Singapore, can be found on the MySkillsFuture website. On food workers, Mr Don Wee said that both food businesses and workers should be held accountable to uphold food safety standards and expressed concern over decriminalising failures by food workers to attend training. I agree wholeheartedly with Mr Don Wee that training in proper food handling is a key contributor to ensuring safe food. The approach taken under the FSSB considers that adequate training of food workers can be best ensured by the food business, which supervises and has oversight of its food workers. Often, food workers come and go.”
“The safety assessments should cover potential food safety risks such as toxicity, allergenicity, safety of the production methods used and dietary exposure arising from consumption. To assist companies in this journey, SFA has published and regularly updates the guidance document on novel food safety assessment requirements on its website. Companies can also consult SFA or sign up for the bi-monthly Novel Food Virtual Clinics to better understand SFA's requirements. SFA will continue to ensure that sufficient clarity is provided to industry through direct engagements with novel food companies, as well as through the updating of guidance documents online. Following pre-market approval, the novel food at hand will no longer remain as a defined food and can be made available for consumption as food by the general public. SFA currently already publishes information on approved GM food and will also be publishing information on the identities of approved novel foods on its website. This is intended to help interested consumers and industry better identify these approved novel food and GM food. Mr Don Wee asked how SFA will work with home-based food businesses, which are non-licensable, to ensure food safety standards. As I explained in my opening speech, SFA takes a risk-based approach. Home-based food businesses are allowed by the Housing and Development Board and the Urban Redevelopment Authority to operate only on a small scale. This limits the scale of food production and preparation, and food sold, making the associated food safety risks low. As such, home-based food businesses are not required to be licensed by SFA. In response to Mr Keith Chua, SFA does not, therefore, track the number of home-based food businesses.”
“Mr Speaker, I thank Members for their support and feedback for the Bill. Some Members have also sought clarifications, which largely revolve around three themes. First, how the Bill will consolidate and enhance food safety requirements. I will address clarifications on how these apply for certain types of food businesses, worker training and food recalls, while the Minister will address clarifications relating to the supply of food, such as implications for donated food. Second, how the Bill will help us prepare for emerging challenges in safeguarding food security. I will address questions about the MSR and FMP. Third, how we will support the industry and collaborate with stakeholders in the transition towards the updated food safety and security regime. First, on how the FSSB will consolidate and enhance food safety requirements. Mr Louis Ng said there might be subjectivity in determining novel foods as defined in the Bill and asked if the Ministry could provide more guidance on this. He also asked about plans for publicity and education to the industry and consumers on defined foods that have obtained pre-market approval. Sir, since 2019, SFA has put in place a novel food regulatory framework to ensure that only novel food which is safe for human consumption can be manufactured, imported, distributed, or sold in Singapore. When in doubt on whether a food or food ingredient is considered a novel food in the first place, companies should consult SFA to discuss the available evidence on the history of safe use that they have compiled. Companies that intend to supply novel food are required to seek SFA's pre-market approval. To obtain pre-market approval, companies must conduct and submit safety assessment of the novel food for SFA's review.”
“We will implement changes in phases to facilitate a smooth transition for the industry. To support the industry in the transition, the Bill will be implemented in phases by 2028, starting with that for defined foods and non-packaged drinking water in the second half of 2025. The industry and public will be informed ahead of the implementation of the relevant provisions to allow time for them to prepare for the changes. The Second Schedule spells out savings and transitions to ensure a smooth transition to the new regulatory regime. We will also make consequential amendments to existing legislation that SFA leverages today and repeal and replace the SOFA and the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act. Let me conclude. Sir, given the complexities of our food supply chains today, strengthening food safety and security requires joint responsibility and collective effort. I thank the industry and members of the public who have contributed your views in shaping this Bill, which marks a crucial step towards enabling this joint responsibility.”
“The trigger notice will indicate the specific requirements, such as minimum stockholding quantity, the daily and average monthly minimum, the storage location, the duration of the obligation and the implementation timelines. Every MSR entity will need to maintain a minimum daily MSR product stock and a minimum average MSR product stock over a prescribed period. Unlike today where the only recourse is to revoke the rice import licence upon non-compliance, the Bill will deter non-compliance through a range of enforcement actions, such as civil and/or criminal penalties. Part 2 of the Bill will also confer powers on the DG (FS) to collect data and information from participants in the agri-food supply chain, other than the ultimate consumer and others closely connected to the agri-food supply chain. This is to allow the DG (FS) to monitor and assess ways to strengthen Singapore's food resilience in a timely manner. This information will also be used to support the administration of the MSR scheme. Steps will be taken to ensure only what is necessary is collected and that what is collected is kept confidential. First, the DG (FS) will specify the data required, how and when it should be provided and for what purpose. Second, the DG (FS) will also work closely with relevant industry stakeholders to build up data reporting capabilities. This includes, reviewing data collection processes and encouraging the adoption of technological solutions. Third, the DG (FS) will take the appropriate data protection measures to ensure the data will not be mishandled. Information will not be disclosed to persons outside of the Singapore Public Sector except in an anonymised form or as required by an order of Court. Finally, let me talk about implementation.”
“Today, SFA only administers a Rice Stockpile Scheme, requiring rice importers to stockpile rice as an import licence condition under the Ministry of Trade and Industry's Price Control Act. With the Bill, the powers to administer the Rice Stockpile Scheme will be right-sited with the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE). Instead of a licence condition, the MSR is a legal obligation under the Bill. The Minister will appoint a Director-General for Food Security, or DG (FS), to administer Part 2 of the Bill. The role of the DG (FS) will be to oversee and coordinate the formulation and implementation of our food security strategies in a comprehensive and effective manner. Part 2 of the Bill will enable the Minister to declare other essential food items or agri-food production inputs to be subject to stockpiling requirements if the need arises in the future. That said, there are currently no plans to extend the stockholding requirement to entities other than rice importers or to other commodities beyond rice. We will consult closely with the industry before prescribing any other food or agri-food production input as an MSR product and any activity as an MSR activity attracting the stockholding requirement and provide sufficient lead time for the industry to meet the new requirements. For rice importers, the shift in legislative regime to the MSR will not change what they basically need to do today, which is to continue to stockpile prescribed quantities of rice. Under clause 23, a stockpiling obligation arises for an entity, called an MSR entity, when the entity is given a formal written notice, called a "Trigger Notice", from the DG (FS).”
“More recently, in November 2024, SFA had announced the updated Singapore Aquaculture Plan and initiatives that seek to uplift the aquaculture sector to be one that is more productive and sustainable. The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the fragility of global food supply chains, as unexpected, unprecedented lockdowns disrupted production and logistics, causing delays and shortages. Geopolitical tensions, more recently, and climate change also continue to add pressure to food systems worldwide. As a small country with limited natural resources, import diversification remains a key strategy alongside efforts to build up our local production as a buffer against supply chain shocks. However, in the face of severe food supply disruptions or emergencies, these measures alone may not be enough. Any food supply disruption could have significant impacts on businesses, consumers and the Singapore economy. But it is hard to predict when a significant food disruption might occur. On the other hand, food importers and wholesalers have limited incentives to hold reserve stocks above the commercial stockholding level and to invest in back-up food storage and distribution facilities. In the absence of Government intervention, Singapore may not keep sufficient domestic food stocks or back-up arrangements to mitigate the impact in food supply disruption scenarios adequately. As such, another key food security measure the Bill introduces is the MSR in Part 2 of the Bill. The MSR would help to ensure that we have a certain level of in-country stocks to tide over impacts to supply during potential disruptions in the future.”
“Two farming enterprises that have already benefited from having comprehensive farm management and documentation systems are Metropolitan Fishery Group, a local fish farm; and Sustenir Agriculture, a local vegetable farm. Both farms are certified under Singapore's Good Agricultural Practices, a farm management standard that ensures food safety, produce quality and environmental sustainability. These practices have improved the farms’ operational efficiency, leading to higher productivity and safer, higher-quality produce for their customers. The practices have also helped the farms to foster a culture of continuous improvement in farm management and production. Hence, we are optimistic that similar requirements in the FMP will benefit other farms as well. The FMP implementation will be phased in, to allow time for transition and SFA will provide the necessary support to help farms adjust to the new regulations. This includes working with Temasek Polytechnic's Aquaculture Innovation Centre to conduct training to guide farms. The training course will be subsidised for Singaporeans and Permanent Residents. SFA will also provide guidance documents to help farmers understand the requirements and implementation of the FMP and work with relevant agencies to contextualise requirements for different farm types. SFA will continue to support the industry in overcoming challenges through other practical means. This includes supporting capability development by co-funding the adoption of technology through the $60 million Agri-food Cluster Transformation (ACT) Fund. SFA also rolled out the Aquatic Animal Health Service in August 2023 to provide aquaculture farms with funded veterinary consultations, to assist them in farm management, disease diagnoses, prevention and control.”
“Under Parts 3, 4 and 11 of the Bill, SFA will decriminalise non-compliances such as breaches in licence or permit conditions that are less egregious in nature. Proportionate regulatory actions, such as suspension of licence, imposing of financial penalties and issuance of directions, may be taken instead to avoid over-penalising less serious infringements. As Minister mentioned earlier, Singapore is no stranger to food supply disruptions. As a small country which imports most of our food, we will not be able to insulate ourselves entirely from global food supply disruptions and the risks of unsafe food. Local production buffers against the impact of supply disruptions and add to Singapore's food security. For farms to viably produce and scale up in the long term, we must balance sustainability with productivity to ensure that farming activities do not harm the environment in which the animals and the plants need to grow. Currently, all farms are already required to maintain their farms in clean and sanitary conditions. We will strengthen farm management and animal husbandry practices by introducing the Farm Management Plan (FMP) as a new requirement for those licensees undertaking primary production activities. The FMP is aimed at mitigating risks to food safety, disease spread and ensuring sustainable production. Farmers will need to come up with their methods and processes addressing the key areas of waste, feed, fish stocking, biosecurity and disease management. Sea-based aquaculture farmers will also have to state how they will monitor water and sediment quality. All licensed farmers will need to appoint trained personnel to oversee implementation of the FMP.”
“Instead of prescribing requirements across businesses' different operating contexts, each business will have the flexibility to devise and implement preventive measures suited to their operation model to ensure safe food and animal feed that is fit-for-purpose. This will be done through the Food Control Plan and the Feed Control Plan, which will be introduced as licence conditions under Part 4 and Part 11 of the Bill respectively. All licensable food businesses which are not in primary production must design and implement a Food Control Plan, while licensed animal feed producers must design and implement a Feed Control Plan. Today, businesses are already required to show they have measures to ensure food safety before SFA grants them a licence. By taking an outcome-based approach, the Food Control Plan would not prescribe specific measures, but allow businesses to consider what works for them to meet food safety outcomes. This approach also recognises that food business licensees understand their operations best and are well-positioned to design effective food safety solutions. They will need to maintain these solutions to ensure hygienic and safe conditions and implement them throughout the entire licence period. It also ensures that food business licensees stay accountable even as new food products and business models emerge while encouraging innovative means to ensure food safety. SFA will provide guidance on the scope of the Food Control Plan and the Feed Control Plan, according to the operating modality of the different businesses. My Minister also, earlier, mentioned how some breaches, which are offences under existing law, will be decriminalised.”
“In cases of voluntary recalls initiated by the industry due to food safety concerns, the industry will also be required to inform SFA as soon as practicable or within 24 hours after making the decision to recall. SFA will then identify other affected companies to ensure coordinated and timely responses to protect consumers. For example, through SFA’s proactive surveillance, a potential outbreak was averted last September when some mooncakes were found with excessive levels of Escherichia coli, or E. coli. Effective traceability allowed for the swift identification and recall of the affected mooncakes, as the business had a good record-keeping system in place. The business was able to isolate the contaminated mooncakes and recall them swiftly with precision. This minimised the cost impact for the business as well because the alternative would have been to recall every single batch of mooncakes. To support the industry in this transition, SFA will undertake consultations in detailing records to be kept in subsidiary legislation. SFA will provide guidance documents to help compliance with the regulations. SFA is also developing a portal to facilitate the submission of documents from those required to maintain traceability records. Let me move on to how we aim to minimise regulatory burden on the industry, through providing greater operational flexibility and decriminalising less egregious offences. Sir, we are mindful of striking a balance between ensuring food safety and minimising compliance costs for businesses. We are calibrating and updating our regulations to align with SFA's risk-based approach to food safety.”
“Under clause 103, it is an offence if a licensed food business deploys an untrained individual as a food worker in that business. A food business licensee should be proactive in ensuring that food workers are current in their food safety knowledge and attend refresher training before their training certifications expire. These measures will help to foster a strong food safety culture, reinforce food safety protocols, reduce the risk of safety lapses and ultimately protect consumers. Businesses can use SFA’s newly launched Food Handler Digital Data Hub to track the expiry dates of their workers’ certification. The food industry is responsible for ensuring that their food is safe. It is not practical nor possible for SFA to verify and test all food items before consumption. We take a risk-based approach, aligned with international standards, to inspecting the safety of our food at the border, prioritising checks on food items that have higher safety risks. Hence, food products may sometimes still be found to be unsafe for consumption after they enter the market. When this happens, the food industry and SFA must be able to swiftly recall products to prevent the products from further circulating in the market and to reduce the potential for widespread illness or harm from occurring. To implement swift recalls of products, there must be proper record-keeping. While some progressive industry players practice record-keeping, it is not consistently implemented across the sector. As a result, significant effort is often required to trace implicated food batches during incidents. To address this, Parts 3, 4 and 11 of the Bill imposes traceability and record-keeping obligations on selected licensed food businesses, licensed importers and licensed animal feed producers.”
“The Bill formalises SFA’s existing practice for novel foods, insects and GM foods, and seeks to ensure any food safety risks are identified early, without stifling innovation. Over time, this would foster greater trust and confidence among consumers and industry stakeholders. We do not expect the Bill to lengthen the approval process. SFA will continue to engage with food companies and provide guidance to facilitate the approval process. Alongside safety regulations, marketing plays a crucial role in communicating crucial information about food such as ingredients, allergens and nutritional value. Modern marketing strategies have also transformed how businesses influence consumers’ food purchase decisions. Hence, Part 10 of the Bill sets out offences relating to misleading or deceptive marketing, covering newer forms of advertising and innovations in food labelling such as the use of QR codes. It also more clearly defines the parties responsible for ensuring accurate and substantiated food labelling and advertising. It can be hard for consumers to verify the credibility of claims such as the composition, effect and origin of food before consumption. Misinformation can potentially compromise food safety and consumer health. Provisions under the Bill will place the onus on food suppliers to provide accurate information and representations of the food so that consumers can make accurate, informed choices. Between 2022 and 2024, an average of 43% of food-borne gastroenteritis outbreaks resulted from poor food safety practices by food workers. Therefore, food-borne illnesses can be reduced significantly when food workers understand the importance and the basics of food handling and safe practices; and are subject to monitoring of their food handling proficiency.”
“Certification will continue to be required for all pesticide operators applying or supervising pesticide use on edible plants that are intended for human consumption, to ensure that these individuals are trained to apply pesticides safely. This excludes the use of pesticides on edible plants grown for personal consumption, such as those in home gardens, or whole edible plants which are retailed in pots, such as potted herbs and ornamental plants like kumquats, which though can be eaten, largely serve more for ornamental purposes. Water is another key component, integral to every stage of the food value chain from production to preparation for sale or supply. Under Part 6 of the Bill, we will continue to require those providing a drinking water service to supply wholesome drinking water that is safe for human consumption. As technology advances, we are seeing innovations across different parts of the food value chain, along with the emergence of innovative food types. Their long-term effect on human health needs to be evaluated. We must therefore indicate clearly to businesses which are developing or selling these products what their responsibilities are. To achieve this, Part 5 of the Bill will introduce a category of “defined food” to help industry navigate the types of food that are of higher regulatory concern and therefore require prior approval before they can be supplied or advertised in Singapore as food. This category will comprise yet-to-be approved novel foods, genetically modified, or GM, foods, and insect-like species. Once approved, such food will then be taken off the defined food list and may then be freely supplied in Singapore.”
“Excessive use of plant pesticides can leave high levels of harmful chemical residues on fresh produce, which may be difficult to wash off and pose health risks to consumers when ingested. Through amendments in Division 6 of Part 17 of the Bill, SFA will regulate animal feed for food producing animals while the National Parks Board (NParks) will regulate animal feed for non-food producing animals. Through amendments in Division 4 of Part 17 of the Bill, SFA will regulate pesticides use on edible plants while the use of pesticides other than for growing of food will be deregulated. The changes better match and support the respective regulatory missions of SFA and NParks. SFA’s concern is one of food safety and security for humans, whereas NParks considers protection of animal health. Hence, under the Bill, businesses which manufacture animal feed for food producing animals will need to get a licence from SFA. Businesses which manufacture animal feed for non-food producing animals will need a licence from NParks. This will ensure that feeds used are fit for their intended purposes and makes it clearer for our businesses. Currently, plant pesticides for both food and non-food plants require registration. Going forward under the Bill, product registration will only be mandatory for pesticides used on edible plants. Given that such plants would be ultimately consumed by people, improper use of pesticides can pose food safety risks. Pesticides use for non-food plants will no longer require registration as they are not intended for human consumption and will not compromise food safety. Existing registrations of food plant pesticides will be transitioned without the need for re-registration.”
“Thank you, Mr Speaker. Sir, my Minister has given Members an overview of the Food Safety and Security Bill and elaborated on some of the key proposed amendments to the food safety regime. I will further elaborate on four areas: first, how the Bill will enable a shared commitment across Government, industry and consumers in pursuit of food safety; second, how we aim to minimise regulatory burden on the food industry; third, how we intend to strengthen our food resilience in the face of emerging challenges; and fourth, how the Bill will be implemented in stages. The agri-food supply chain is getting increasingly complex, involving multiple stakeholders and more potential points of failure. Before food reaches our tables, the base ingredients are very likely grown in multiple countries, processed in yet another country, and then packaged and distributed to supermarkets and retail food businesses located locally. Ensuring food safety from farm to fork requires every player across the food value chain to play their part. It requires a shared commitment from Government, industry and consumers. The Bill therefore contains provisions aimed at two agri-food production inputs which, if not properly used or produced, can directly affect the safety of food produced namely, animal feed and plant pesticides. Parts 3 and 11 of the Bill regulate the import and the production of animal feed for food-producing animals, and Part 11 regulates the use of plant pesticides that are for growing food. Contaminated feed can expose food-producing animals to food-borne illnesses which can endanger consumer health and disrupt farm production.”
“Expanding the law itself may not prevent such things from happening, but what we can do is to make sure that if the person is working in a particular workplace where employers have control of the site, they can then deny or deter such people from entering the premises. The challenge, of course, with platform workers is that they move around. There is no fixed locality and they do encounter different people. So, the law provides some of these protection. Perhaps, what the employers or the companies can do is to help educate or share some information with these workers to be able to spot trouble and develop some situational awareness so that they themselves are able to take appropriate measures to extricate themselves from a situation or an altercation, and prevent the situation from escalating and subjecting themselves to physical harm. I think these things can happen, which is why the law is there to protect them from some of these harassments.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for her clarification. I am glad to see that she and her fellow Member of Parliament has visited this resident. I hope he has not sustained severe injuries and that he is recovering well. But this case is still before the Courts and still under investigation, so, I shall not comment further. Suffice to say that under the existing law, POHA and the Penal Code, investigations will be carried out and if there is an establishment of an act of violence against another person, then the process of the law would take its course and the culprit will be taken to task. Under the current law, POHA, there are already criminal sanctions against such offenders and there are quite stiff penalties as well, including, for example, if there are offenders who intentionally cause harassment, alarm or distress, they may be fined up to $5,000 or imprisonment, or up to six months or both. And if there are more serious cases, where the victim is led to believe that unlawful violence will be used, and in this case, violence has been used against him, then the offender could be liable for a fine of up to $5,000 or imprisonment, or up to 12 months or both. So, under our existing laws, there are punishments. But the issue of a platform worker facing violence or harassment at work is not something that the law itself can 100% deter, because it deals with human-to-human interaction. This can happen to any person dealing with another person. It could happen to, say, nurses, it could happen to a bus driver, it could happen to just a sale staff, facing another person who decides to be violent against a person providing any form of service.”
“Sir, I thank the Member for her supplementary questions. I think we must first recognise that platform workers, as they move around and interact with a great number of members of the public, can be exposed to risk of harassment. Platform workers are already protected through the Protection from Harassment Act, or POHA, where individuals who harass or commit violence against platform workers may be liable for criminal offences. All individuals who commit violence are also liable for criminal offences under the Penal Code. So, there are already existing laws that actually protect platform workers against any form of harassment when they are conducting their work. We note in this case, that the platform company has also banned the particular customer who has displayed violence against the platform worker from using their platform. So, these are measures that companies can also adopt to protect the workers from further harassment by a particular member of public.”