Global Food Safety Initiative Conference 2024 - Dr Amy Khor

Opening Address by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment, at the Global Food Safety Initiative Conference on 9 April 2024

Distinguished guests

Ladies and gentlemen,

1 It is my pleasure to join you at this year’s Global Food Safety Initiative Conference. In our midst, we have global food sector leaders, technology experts and policymakers, bringing together our collective expertise and capability to strengthen global food safety.

Food safety in the face of climate change

2 Climate change is an existential challenge and has an impact on food safety. Higher temperatures over a prolonged period can bring about more pests and diseases, posing new threats to animal and plant health, and food safety. Changes in climatic conditions can also introduce harmful compounds, such as Salmonella and Listeria, during the food production and distribution process, causing food safety risks and exposing consumers to potential health issues.

3 Against this backdrop, the theme of today’s conference “Food Safety – Meeting the Needs of our Evolving World” is particularly relevant, as our global food system faces mounting challenges exacerbated by the impacts of climate change. Our food safety regimes will need to stay ahead of the curve even as we anticipate and mitigate these impacts.

Government’s role in ensuring food safety

4 In Singapore, the assurance of food safety is a joint responsibility of the government, the food industry, and the consumers. All parties have a role to play in ensuring food safety.

5 Let me briefly touch on the roles of each of these three key stakeholders in Singapore. Firstly, the government is responsible for establishing the framework for food safety and providing an enabling environment for the food industry. It also aims to equip consumers with knowledge of food safety risks and safe food practices. Prior to the formation of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) in April 2019, the responsibility for food safety was under the purview of three separate government agencies. To better address food safety and security issues holistically, the SFA was set up with the mission of ensuring and securing a supply of safe food for Singapore. It has enhanced regulatory oversight along the food supply chain, and also streamlined processes for food safety.

6 SFA has in place an integrated farm-to-fork food safety system which adopts a risk-based approach guided by science and aligned with international standards. SFA keeps abreast of the latest scientific developments to further strengthen food safety capabilities and ensure that food sold in Singapore is safe for consumption.

7 SFA’s inspection, sampling and testing regime is tiered based on the risk profile of food items. Additional checks are conducted on items with higher food safety risks such as meat and eggs. SFA also regularly reviews its inspection and sampling regime to ensure sufficient oversight of the safety of our imports.

8 SFA also has in place processes to enable response and interventions in a timely manner through investigation and laboratory testing, and to swiftly effect food recalls when needed. These processes ensure that consumers are not exposed to unnecessary risks while investigations and testing are ongoing.

9 Additionally, SFA leverages science, data and technology to enhance food safety. We adopt a data-driven targeted approach and inspection regime which focuses on food establishments with higher propensity of food safety lapses. SFA’s National Centre for Food Science (NCFS), utilises scientific expertise to shape our food safety ecosystem. For example, when investigating food poisoning outbreaks, NCFS employs whole genome sequencing to obtain genetic information about bacteria and other germs. Over time, our food scientists have established key capabilities to identify unknown hazards in new food production systems, leveraging new technologies including non-targeted analysis and predictive analytics.

10 To further enhance the safety of Singapore’s food system, we are also funding innovative research in food safety. One such project is the Future Ready Food Safety Hub, or FRESH. A partnership between A*STAR, SFA and NTU, FRESH will enhance R&D capabilities for food safety risk assessment and protocols for novel foods, functional ingredients, and new food processing techniques. Through such projects, we hope to strengthen SFA’s capabilities to monitor and safeguard the safety of our food supply.

11 All food products entering Singapore must be safe for consumption, novel or otherwise. Even as we facilitate the growth of the novel food industry, the safety of food remains a top priority. Under the novel food regulatory framework for risk assessment of novel food, SFA rigorously assesses all novel foods before approval for sale. Companies developing novel food are also required to conduct safety processes to assure food safety. This helped Singapore become the first country in the world to approve cultured chicken for consumption, after it passed our safety assessment framework.

Industry and consumers’ roles in ensuring food safety

12 Even as the Government creates an enabling environment for food safety, businesses must also do their part to maintain high food safety standards. In Singapore, food producers, manufacturers, importers, and distributors must maintain high food safety standards by adhering to the criteria set by SFA. Responsible food industry players adhere to best practices in agriculture and manufacturing, alongside implementing food safety assurance initiatives, to ensure the safety of their products. Food operators must also upkeep good food preparation practices, ensure their premises are kept clean and well-maintained, and implement proper refuse management and pest control.

13 For better food safety assurance, we are also moving towards a new grading system for food establishments named the “Safety Assurance for Food Establishments” (SAFE) Framework. This is an improvement from our existing system which provides a snapshot of an establishment’s food safety standards at the point of inspection. Under SAFE, establishments will be graded based on their food safety track record and prevailing food safety management systems. We have started engaging the industry on the new framework and more details will be released in due course.

14 Consumers too, have a role to play in ensuring food safety. All of us, as consumers, can protect ourselves and our families by understanding food safety risks, adopting good food safety practices and making informed food safety decisions. For instance, we can adopt safe food handling practices at home such as using separate chopping boards for raw and cooked food to prevent cross-contamination.

15 To bring to bear the spirit of joint responsibility, our regulatory framework will also need to be reviewed and updated from time to time to keep pace with the evolving landscape. In Singapore, we will be introducing a new Food Safety and Security Bill to strengthen our food safety regime and better protect consumers, while safeguarding our food supply resilience. This Bill will bring together food safety and security legislation from eight existing Acts into one Act and provide an overarching framework to ensure coherence across the entire food value chain with all stakeholders playing their part. We have been engaging industry players and consulting the public to seek feedback on how we can collectively ensure a resilient supply of safe food for Singapore through this Bill.

Contributing to the international food safety community

16 Singapore not only prioritises food safety within our borders, but also actively contributes to the international food safety community through knowledge sharing efforts.

17 For example, NCFS has been designated regionally as the World Health Organization (WHO) Collaborating Centre for Food Contamination Monitoring. As a WHO Collaborating Centre, NCFS shares data from Singapore’s surveillance monitoring on chemical contaminants and natural toxins in food with WHO, to help set Codex food safety standards. NCFS also provides technical capacity building and consultation services in times of foodborne crises, to investigate food safety incidents in the region.

18 As a member of Codex, Singapore has also been actively contributing to international food safety standard setting and advocating the greater adoption of these standards. Through raising international food safety standards together, more sources of safe food become available to Singapore as well as the rest of the world.

Conclusion

19 Let me conclude. The Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment has designated 2024 as the Year of Public Hygiene. While what may immediately come to mind is environmental cleanliness, public hygiene is much more than that. It includes other areas that form the very foundation of our physical and mental well-being – clean air, clean water, and safe food. To sustain high levels of public hygiene, everyone, whether the government, individuals, businesses or the community must work together.

20 I hope that this spirit of collective action pervades the ensuing discussions at today’s conference and catalyses more collaborations and partnerships across borders. By promoting international cooperation and the harmonisation of food safety regulations, we can enhance food safety not only within our borders, but also globally. In so doing, we can contribute to the well-being of populations worldwide.

21 I wish all of you a fruitful and meaningful discussion. Thank you.