G/SPS/N/SGP/69  
 
3 May 2021  
(21-3748) 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:  Singapore Food Agency (SFA)  
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):  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 Food (Amendment No. X) Regulations 2021 . 
Language(s):  English . Number of pages:  7 
6. Description of content:  SFA has completed a review of the Food Regulations and 
proposes the following amendments:  
a) To allow the use of new food additives and ingredients:  
(i) The following new types of steviol glycosides as permitted sweetening agents 
(under Regulation 18). These will be accorded the same provisions currently 
allowed for steviol glycosides in the Thirteenth Schedule of the Food Regulations:  
• Rebaudioside D produced by enzymatic conversion of purified stevia leaf 
extract using the enzymes UDP -glucosyltransferas e (EC 2.4.1.17) and sucrose 
synthase (EC 2.4.1.13), produced by genetically modified strains of Pichia 
pastoris ; 
• Rebaudioside E produced by enzymatic conversion of purified stevia leaf 
extract using the enzymes UDP -glucosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.17) and suc rose 
synthase (EC 2.4.1.13), produced by genetically modified strains of Pichia 
pastoris ; 
• Rebaudioside AM produced by enzymatic conversion of stevioside extracted 
from stevia leaf using the enzymes UDP -glucosyltransferase (EC 2.4.1.17) 
and sucrose synthase  (EC 2.4.1.13), produced by genetically modified strains 
of Escherichia coli  K-12 W311 ; 
(ii) Sodium polyacrylate in instant noodles (Regulation 55), in an amount not 
exceeding 2000 ppm ; 
(iii) 2'-fucosyllactose/difucosyllactose (2' -FL/DFL) mixture, for addition to inf ant 
formula (Regulation 252(6)), in an amount not exceeding:  
• 160 mg per 100 ml (in the case of infant formula for infants not more than 
six months of age) ; 
• 120 mg per 100 ml (in the case of infant formula for infants more than 
six months of age but not mor e than 12 months of age) ; 
The proportion of 2' -fucosyllactose (2' -FL) in the mixture is at least 75% (w/w) 
and the proportion of difucosyllactose (DFL) in the mixture is at least 5% (w/w) ; 
(iv) Lacto -N-tetraose (LNT) for addition to infant formula (Regulation 2 52(6)), in an 
amount not exceeding:  G/SPS/N/SGP/69  
 
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  • 80 mg per 100 ml (in the case of infant formula for infants not more than 
six months of age) ; 
• 60 mg per 100 ml (in the case of infant formula for infants more than 
six months of age but not more than 12 months of age) ; 
(v) Sucrose oligoesters, type I and type II (INS 473a) as a permitted general purpose 
food additive (Part 1 of Eighth Schedule), at levels in accordance with good 
manufacturing practice ; 
b) To extend the use of existing food additives:  
(i) Benzoates (referring to ben zoic acid and its sodium and potassium salts (INS 210, 
211 and 212)) and sorbates (sorbic acid and its sodium, potassium and calcium 
salts (INS 200, 201, 202 and 203)), in the food category "Desserts, fruit based, 
milk and cream" in Part I of the Fourth Sc hedule, in amounts not exceeding 
1,000 ppm (as benzoic acid) and 1 ,000 ppm (as sorbic acid) respectively, when 
the food product contains either benzoates or sorbates as the sole preservative ; 
(ii) Steviol glycosides in the following nine food categories in the Thirteenth Schedule:  
Food categories  Maximum  
 amount (ppm)  
Semi-preserved fish and fish products, including  100 
molluscs, crustaceans and echinoderms (applicable to  
sweet and sour products only)  
Fully preserved, including canned or fermen ted fish and  100 
fish products, including molluscs, crustaceans and  
echinoderms (applicable to sweet and sour products only)  
Mustards  130 
Soups and broths, including mixes  50 
Cocoa -based spreads, including fillings  330 
Bread and bakery products, and mixes for these products  160 
Flour confectionery products and mixes for these  330 
products (applicable to products for special nutritional  
use only)  
Semi-preserved caviar and other fish roe products  100 
Vegetable, nut and seed pulps and preparations  330 
c) To revise the maximum limits for heavy metals in food:  
Heavy Metal  Food Commodity  Revised Maximum Limit  
Arsenic  Fat spreads and blended spreads  0.1 ppm  
  (new category "Fat spreads  
  and blended spreads"  
  in Tenth Schedule)  
Lead Fat spreads and blended spre ads 0.04 ppm  
  (new category "Fat spreads  
  and blended spreads"  
  in Tenth Schedule)  
Cadmium  Salt 0.5 ppm  
  (Regulation 31(5))  
Mercury  Salt 0.1 ppm  
  (Regulation 31(3))  
d) To require that when a food contains a permitted food additive (Regulation 15(2)), 
the purity of the food additive must conform to the specifications in the Food 
Regulations. Where it is not so provided, then the purity of the permitted food additive 
must conform with the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives' (JECFA's ) 
specifications.  
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.   G/SPS/N/SGP/69  
 
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  8. Is there a relevant international standard? 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 Contaminant s and Toxins 
in Food and Feed (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:  
Food Regulations (version in force from 23 September 2020):  
https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL/SFA1973 -RG1  
10. Proposed date of adoption (dd/mm/yy) : 4th quarter of 2021  
Proposed date of publication (dd/mm/yy) : 4th quarter of 2021  
11. Proposed date of entry into force: [  ] Six months from date of publication , 
and/or  (dd/mm/yy) : Same day as the adoption of the measure; following adoption of 
the new amendments, a 12 -month g race period will be given for food businesses to sell 
food products that were part of the existing stock -in-trade, provided such food products 
are in compliance with the previous standard, had it not been amended by the new 
measure.  
[X] Trade facilitating measure   
12. Final date for comments: [X]  Sixty days from the date of circulation of the 
notification and/or (dd/mm/yy) : 2 July 2021  
Agency or authority designated to handle comments: [  ] National Notification 
Authority, [X]  National Enquiry Point. Addres s, 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 public consultation document and proposed regulations will be made available at the 
following website:  http://www.sfa.gov.sg/legislation  (select "Sale of Food Act", then click 
on "Consultation on Draft Food (Amendment No. X) Regulations 2021" and "Draft Food 
(Amendment No.  X) Regulations 2021)"  
 
Alternatively, please write in to:  
Food Regulatory Management Division  
Regulatory Standards Department  
Singapore Food Agency  
52 Jurong Gat eway Road #14 -01 
Singapore 608550  
Tel: +(65) 6805 2912  
Fax: +(65) 6334 1831  
E-mail: WTO_Contact@sfa.gov.sg  
 adelene_yap@sfa.gov.sg