G/SPS/N/SGP/59  
 
4 September 2017  
(17-4697) Page: 1/3 
Committee on Sanitary and Phytosanitary Measures  Original: English  
 
  
NOTIFICATION  
1. Notifying Member: SINGAPORE  
If applicable, name of local government involved:  
2. Agency responsible: Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA)  
3. Products covered (provide tariff item number(s) as specified in national 
schedules deposited with the WTO; ICS numbers should be provided in 
addition, where applicable): Ready -to-eat food  
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent releva nt or practicable : 
[X] All trading partners  
[ ] Specific regions or countries:  
5. Title of the notified document: Food Regulations.  Language(s): English . Number of 
pages: 226 
The above document contains the existing regulations and is available at the following 
website: http://www.ava.gov.sg/legislation  (select "Sale of Food Act"). The proposed 
regulations to amend the existing regulations are being drafted, and will be posted at 
the following website as soon as they are available: http://www.ava.gov.sg/legislation  
(select "Sale of Food Act").  
6. Description of content: The Agri -Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) 
has completed a review of the Food Regulations and proposes the following 
amendments:  
a) To delete the existing regulation 35 of the Food Regulations and substitute with the 
following new regulation 35 which p rovides a def inition for ready -to-eat food:  
35 – (1) Ready -to-eat food shall comply with the microbiological standard specified 
in Parts I, II and III of the Eleventh Schedule.  
(2) In these Regulations, "ready -to-eat food" means food intended by the 
produc er or the manufacturer for direct human consumption without the need 
for cooking or other forms of processing effective to eliminate or reduce to an 
acceptable level the micro -organisms of concern.  
b) To delete the existing Eleventh Schedule of the Food Regulations and substitute with 
a new Eleventh Schedule which specifies the revised microbiological standard for 
ready -to-eat food: 
ELEVENTH SCHEDULE  
MICROBIOLOGICAL STANDARD FOR FOOD  
Part I: Total Plate Count  
Type of Food  Colony forming unit/gram (cfu/g)  
Category 1:  
Shelf-stable canned, retort and ultra -high <10 (liquid foods) and  
temperature processed foods subjected  <102 (solid foods)  
to sterilisation or equivalent processing  G/SPS/N/SGP/59  
 
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  Category 2:  
(a) Sweetened condensed milk  (a) <103 
(b) Ready -to-eat foods (not in categories 1 and 4) (b) <105 
in which most components are cooked without  
intention fo r further processing or heating  
before consumption; this may include pasteurised  
food which are shelf stable or may require  
refrigeration; or no n-fermented dairy products and  
dairy-based des serts; or sauces; or bakery and  
confectione ry products; or powdered foods  
Category 3:  
Ready -to-eat foods  (not in categories 1, 2 and 4)  <106 
that are  consumed raw or that contain a  
significant amount of raw ingredients in the  
final food product  
Category 4:  
Fresh fruits and ve getables, fruits and vegetables  Not applicable  
juices which have not been subjected to pasteu risation  
or equivalent proce ssing, fermented food products,  
preserved food products (including  salted or pickled  
food products), dried foods, yoghurts, ripened cheeses,  
foods containing probiotics; foods containing a significant  
portion of these ingredients in the final food product  
Category 5:  
All other ready -to-eat foods not specified above  <105 
 
Part II: Coliforms and Escherichia coli  
Type of Food  Coliform count  Escherichia coli count  
 Colony forming  Colony forming  
 unit/gram (cfu/g)  unit/gram (cfu/g)  
Milk powder (including full -cream,  <5.0 X 102 <102 
half cream, skimmed milk and infant  
formula),  buttermilk powder,  
pasteurised milk and ice cream  
All other ready -to-eat food  Not applicable  <102 
 
Part III: Pathogens  
Pathogens  Colony forming unit /gram  
 (cfu/g)  
Coagulase -positive Staphylococcus aureus  <102 
Bacillus cereus  <2.0 X 102 
Clostridium perfringens  <102 
Vibrio parahaemolyticus  Not detected in 25g  
 (except for raw ready -to-eat 
 seafood where limit is <102) 
Vibrio vulnificus , Vibrio cholerae  Not detected in 25g  
Salmonella  spp. Not detected in 25g  
Shigella  spp. Not detected in 25g  
Listeria m onocytogenes  Not detected in 25g  
Campylobacter  spp. Not detected in 25g  
Escherichia coli O157:H7  Not detected in 25g  
All other pathogens not stated above,  Not detected  
including  Streptococcus agalactiae  (serotype III)  G/SPS/N/SGP/59  
 
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  Singapore notes that the revised microbiological standard for ready -to-eat food would be 
trade facilitative for most products compared to the existing standard. Hence, we plan to 
implement the measure one month after the close of the comment period in Nov ember  
2017. However, we are ready to provide a longer transition period if such a need is 
identified during the comment period.  
7. Objective and rationale: [X]  food safety, [  ] animal health, [  ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or d isease, [  ] protect territory from 
other damage from pests.  
8. Is there a relevant international standard? If so, identify the standard:  
[ ] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex 
standard or related text) :  
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g.  Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number) :  
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g.  ISPM number) :  
[X] None  
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international st andard?   
[ ] Yes   [  ] No 
If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard: Not applicable, as there is no relevant international standard. 
However, the "Codex Principles for the Establishment and Application of Microbiological 
Criteria for Foods (CAC/GL 21 -1997)" was referenced in the development.  
9. Other relevant documents and language(s) in which these are available:   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : November 2017  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : November 2017  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : November 2017  
[ ] Trade facilitating measure  
12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notifi cation and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 2 Novem ber 2017  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [  ] National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address 
(if available) of other body:  
13. Text(s)  available from: [  ] National Notification Authority, [X]  National Enquiry 
Point. Address, fax number and e -mail address (if available) of other body:   
The proposed regulations are being drafted, and will be posted at the following website 
as soon as they are available:  http://www.ava.gov.sg/legislation  (select "Sale of Food 
Act").  
 
Alternatively, please write in to:  
Regulatory Administration Group  
Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority  
52 Jurong Gat eway Road #14 -01 
Singapore 608550  
Tel: +(65) 6805 2912  
Fax: +(65) 6334 1831  
E-mail: WTO_Contact@ava.gov.sg  
 adelene_yap@ava.gov.sg