WORLD TRADE  
ORGANIZATION   
G/SPS/N/SGP/44 
26 June 2012 
 (12-3376) 
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 numbe r(s) as specified in national schedules 
deposited with the WTO;  ICS numbers should be provided in addition, where applicable):  Food 
4. Regions or countries likely to be affected, to the extent relevant or practicable: 
[X] All trading partners   
[ ] Specific regions or countries:    
5. Title of the notified document:  Draft Proposed Food (Amendment No. 2) Regulations 
2012  Language(s):  English  Number of pages:  - 
6. Description of content:  The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) has 
completed a review of the Food Regulati ons and proposes the following amendments: 
(a) To allow the use of the following new food additives: 
 Alpha-cyclodextrin and Gamma-cyclodextrin as stabilisers under good 
manufacturing practice; 
 Beta-cyclodextrin as a solvent for flavouring essences under good manufacturing 
practice; 
 L-glutamic acid, Monopotassium L-glutamate, Calcium di-L-glutamate, 
Monoammonium L-glutamate and Magnesium di- L-glutamate as flavour enhancers under good manufacturing practice; 
 Inosinic acid, Dipotassium 5'-inosinate, Guanylic acid and Dipotassium 5'-
guanylate as flavour enhancers under good manufacturing practice; 
 Rosemary extract as an antioxidant in: 
 (i) fat of beef, poultry, sheep and porcine, as well as lard, up to 50 ppm (sum 
 of carnosol and carnosic acid) and 
 (ii) dehydrated meat, up to 150 ppm  (sum of carnosol and carnosic acid). 
 Ferrous ammonium phosphate as a nutrient supplement. 
 Beta-galactosidase (or lactase) from Kluyveromyces lactis ,  Glucose oxidase from 
Aspergillus niger ,  Lipase (triacylglycerol acylhydrolase) from a genetically 
modified strain of Aspergillus niger ,  Lipase, triacylglycerol produced by a G/SPS/N/SGP/44 
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  genetically modified strain of Aspergillus oryzae  and Protease from Bacillus 
subtilis  as processing aids. 
(b) To extend the use of the following existing additives: 
 Dimethyl polysiloxane as an anti-foaming agent in jams, fruit jellies and 
marmalades, up to 10 ppm; 
 Calcium disodium ethylenediaminetetracetate (EDTA) as a sequestrant in canned 
mollusks, up to 250 ppm; 
 Nisin, in liquid egg products under good manufacturing practice; 
 Butylated hydroxyanisole (BHA) in  dehydrated meat, up to 200 ppm; 
 Propyl gallate in dehydrated meat, up to 200 ppm; 
 Sulphur dioxide and sulphites in: 
 (i) canned abalone (paua), up to 1000 ppm (calculated as sulphur dioxide) 
 (ii) uncooked crustacean, up to 100 ppm in the edible portion (calculated as  
  sulphur dioxide)  (iii) fruits (fresh, whole, unpeeled)  (except longans and lychees), up to 30 ppm   (calculated as sulphur dioxide)  (iv) longans and lychees (fresh, whole, unpeeled), up to 50 ppm (calculated as 
  sulphur dioxide); 
 Sodium nitrate and Potassium nitrate in  cheeses (except for processed cheese, 
unripened cheese, fresh cheese and cheese in brine), up to 50 ppm (calculated as 
sodium nitrate); 
 Sorbic acid and sorbates in: 
 (i) cooked molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms, up to 2000 ppm   
  (calculated as sorbic acid)  
 (ii) semi-preserved fish and fish products (including molluscs, crustaceans and 
  echinoderms), up to 2000 ppm (calculated as sorbic acid) 
 Benzoic acid and benzoates in: 
 (i) cooked molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms, up to 2000 ppm   
  (calculated as benzoic acid)   (ii) semi-preserved fish and fish products (including molluscs, crustaceans and 
  echinoderms), up to 2000 ppm (calculated as benzoic acid) 
(c) To delete the maximum permitted leve l of 500 ppm for the existing flavour 
enhancers: calcium and sodium salts of inos inic and guanylic acid, thereby allowing these 
additives to be used under good manufacturing practice. 
(d) To delete selenium from the list of incidental constituents. (e) To specify maximum limits for the following incidental constituents: 
 aflatoxin B1 or total aflatoxins (B1, B2, G1 and G2), up to 5 ppb in food; 
 aflatoxin M1, up to 0.5 ppb in milk; 
 patulin, up to 50 ppb in fruit juice or any food containing fruit juice as ingredient; 
 3-monochloropropane-1,2-diol (3-MCPD) , up to 20 ppb (calculated on 40% dry 
matter content) in soy sauce and oyster sauce.  G/SPS/N/SGP/44 
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  (f) To revise the limits for vinyl chloride monomers used in containers for food: 
 Food package or container not to contain more than 1 ppm of vinyl chloride 
monomer; 
 Food package or container not to yield more than 0.01 ppm vinyl chloride 
monomer to the food contained within the package or container.  
7. Objective and rationale:  [X] food safety, [ ] animal health, [ ] plant protection, 
[ ] protect humans from animal/plant pest or disease, [ ] protect territory from other damage from pests.    
8. Is there a relevant international stan dard?  If so, identify the standard:  
[X] Codex Alimentarius Commission (e.g.  title or serial number of Codex standard 
or related text)  
 Codex General Standard for Food Additives (CODEX STAN 192-1995) 
 Codex General Standard for Contam inants in Food (CODEX STAN 193-1995) 
[ ] World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) (e.g. Terrestrial or Aquatic 
Animal Health Code, chapter number)    
[ ] International Plant Protection Convention (e.g. ISPM number)    
[ ] None 
Does this proposed regulation conform to the relevant international standard?   
 [X] Yes   [ ] No 
 If no, describe, whenever possible, how and why it deviates from the 
international standard:    
9. Other relevant documents and language (s) in which these are available:  None   
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) :  1 August 2012 
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) :  1 August 2012 
11. Proposed date of entry into force:  [ ] Six months from date of publication , and/or  
(dd/mm/yy) :  1 August 2012 
[ ] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments:  [X] Sixty days  from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) :  25 August 2012 
Agency or authority designated to handl e comments:  [ ] National Notification 
Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  Address, fax number and e-mail address (if 
available) of other body:    G/SPS/N/SGP/44 
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  13. Texts available from:  [ ] National Notification  Authority, [X] National Enquiry Point.  
Address, fax number and e-mail address (if available) of other body:    
The proposed regulations will be made  available at the following website:  
http://www.ava.gov.sg/Legislation/ListOfLegislation/  
Alternatively, please write in to: 
Regulatory Administration Department 
Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority 
5 Maxwell Road #18-00 Tower Block MND Complex Singapore 069110 Tel.:  +(65) 6325 1226 Fax.:  +(65) 6220 6068 E-mail:  adelene_yap@ava.gov.sg