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Selling food in Singapore

In Singapore, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) administers the Sale of Food Act and the Food Regulations. Importers register or hold a licence with SFA and take a permit for each consignment. Prepacked food carries a mandatory English label, uses only permitted additives, stays within contaminant limits, and novel food needs pre-market approval.

Updated · Each section links to the official source it comes from

Regulator
Singapore Food Agency (SFA)
Main texts
Sale of Food Act 1973, Food Regulations, and the Food Safety and Security Act in tranches
Import
SFA licence or registration, and a permit for each consignment
Label language
English
New labelling rules
Food (Amendment) Regulations 2025, in force 30 January 2026
Nutrition and health claims
Ministry of Health and Health Promotion Board

Before a product goes on sale

The questions to answer, in the order they usually come up.

  1. 1How is the product classified, and which SFA licence or registration does the importer need? Read more
  2. 2Is each additive permitted, and is any ingredient a novel food or a GM food? Read more
  3. 3Which contaminant limits apply, and is there a lab report to show it? Read more
  4. 4Does the English label carry the seven mandatory particulars? Read more
  5. 5Does the product need a date mark or an advisory statement? Read more
  6. 6Are the claims on the label and in adverts allowed? Read more
  7. 7Who answers for the food once it is on sale, and can each lot be traced? Read more

The rules, by area

What each area covers, the texts that set it, and what the official pages say.

Import licences, registration and permits

Who may bring food into Singapore for sale, and what each consignment needs.

  • Traders licensed or registered with SFA may import food for commercial sale, whatever the nature or mode of the business, including food received and sold by parcel post.
  • A licence is needed for meat and fish products, fresh fruit and vegetables and shell eggs; processed food and food contact articles need a Registration to Import Processed Food Products and Food Appliances.
  • Importers must be registered with ACRA with a valid UEN, have activated the UEN with Singapore Customs, and set up GIRO with SFA.
  • Each consignment needs an import permit applied for through TradeNet; once approved the importer receives a Cargo Clearance Permit (CCP).
  • Imports may be inspected and sampled, and some consignments are placed on 'hold and test' until laboratory results show they comply.
  • Some products, such as dairy, infant formula, natural mineral water and absinthe, need health certificates or laboratory reports set out in SFA's requirements for specific food products.

How we help: Compliant Always keeps the licence, the health certificates and lab reports each shipment needs with the product, and shows what expires before the next consignment. Ask about this

Additives, ingredients, novel food and GM food

What may go into food sold in Singapore.

  • Only food additives assessed by SFA are permitted, where there is a technological justification and no health risk; SFA publishes the list of permitted food additives.
  • A food with an additive that is not permitted must not be imported or sold, though a business can apply to SFA to evaluate its use.
  • Novel food, food or ingredients without a history of use as food over the past 20 years, needs SFA pre-market approval before it is supplied.
  • Since 28 November 2025, the Food Safety and Security Act makes it an offence to supply 'defined food': novel or GM food without pre-market approval, or insect-like species that are not catalogued.
  • Chinese medicinal materials added to food must not have medicinal or therapeutic properties; SFA keeps a record of ingredients it has reviewed.

How we help: Compliant Always reads your recipe and specifications against the permitted lists, and keeps the evidence for each ingredient with the product. Ask about this

Contaminants and microbiological limits

Limits for substances that end up in food by contamination, processing or packaging.

  • The Food Regulations set limits for incidental constituents, including microbiological standards, heavy metals, mycotoxins and marine biotoxins, veterinary drug residues and pesticide residues.
  • Where no pesticide residue limit is set in the Food Regulations, Codex maximum residue limits apply.
  • Food businesses must be aware of the contaminants commonly found in their products and test as needed; food over the limits must not be imported or sold.
  • SFA's limits are developed with reference to Codex standards, and revisions follow public consultation.

How we help: Upload a lab report and Compliant Always reads it line by line against the limits that apply, with the source beside each one. Ask about this

Labelling of prepacked food

What a label must show, in what language, and the further statements some foods need.

  • Prepacked food carries, in English: the name or description, the ingredients (with allergens), net quantity, the name and address of the Singapore business responsible, country of origin, lot identification and, where needed, directions for use.
  • From 30 January 2026, the ingredients list needs a heading, added water is declared, lot identification is mandatory, and food made in Singapore also declares its country of origin with a statement such as 'Product of'.
  • Eight groups of foods known to cause hypersensitivity are declared, including cereals containing gluten, crustacea, eggs, fish, peanuts and soybeans, milk, tree nuts, and sulphites at 10 mg/kg or more.
  • Sticker labels in English are accepted on imported food if firmly attached and not covering other required information; tampering with the date mark is prohibited.
  • Listed foods, such as milk, chilled food, flour, chocolate, breakfast cereal, cooking oils and infants' food, carry a date mark at least 3 mm high; food past its expiry date may not be sold.
  • Some foods carry advisory statements, for example 'Phenylketonurics: contains phenylalanine' where aspartame is used.

How we help: Compliant Always sets the mandatory particulars beside what your label shows, with the regulation for each, so a gap is visible before a retailer or an inspector finds it. Ask about this

Claims and advertisements

What a label or advert may say about the food.

  • False or misleading statements about the nature, quantity, composition, origin or effects of the food are not allowed on labels or in adverts (regulation 9).
  • Claims of therapeutic or prophylactic action, or that a food prevents or cures a disease, are prohibited, as are claims suggesting that other foods or permitted ingredients are unsafe.
  • Since 2 May 2024, nutrition labelling and nutrition and health claims are regulated by the Ministry of Health and the Health Promotion Board.
  • 'Organic' claims need a certificate under a system that meets Codex guidelines; from 30 January 2026, 'gluten-free' means 20 mg/kg of gluten or less.

How we help: Compliant Always reads each claim on your label and adverts against the rules for it, and keeps the certificate or evidence behind it with the product. Ask about this

Responsibility, traceability and enforcement

Who answers for food on sale, and what SFA can do.

  • Importers, distributors, manufacturers, producers, packers and retailers are responsible for meeting the food standards and labelling requirements.
  • Importers are responsible for making imported food meet SFA's labelling requirements.
  • Food processing establishments need an SFA licence, and licensing checks that they have processes to enable traceability for food recalls.
  • Online food businesses, including e-commerce platforms and group-buy organisers that need no SFA licence, must still comply with food law.
  • The source, exporter and importer of non-compliant food may be suspended; SFA may also offer composition sums or prosecute.

How we help: Compliant Always ties each document to the lot and the supplier it came from, so a question about one lot is answered from the record. Ask about this

Who answers for what

WhoWhat they answer forHow we help
ImporterThe SFA licence or registration, a permit for each consignment, and a label that meets SFA's requirements.Supplier documents read and dated before each shipment arrives.
Brand ownerThe recipe, the label and the claims made for the product.Label and claims checked against the regulations, with the paperwork behind them.
ManufacturerPermitted ingredients, contaminant limits and an SFA licence for local processing.Specifications and lab reports kept with each product and lot.
Retailer or online sellerSelling only food that is safe, correctly labelled and within its expiry date.The documents behind each product shown when a buyer asks.

Questions businesses ask

Do I need a licence to import food into Singapore?
Yes. Traders must be licensed or registered with SFA to import food for sale. Meat, fish, fresh fruit and vegetables and shell eggs need a licence; processed food needs a registration. Each consignment also needs an import permit through TradeNet.
What must a prepacked food label show in Singapore?
In English: the name, ingredients with allergens, net quantity, name and address of the Singapore business responsible, country of origin, a lot identification mark and, where incorrect use would make it unsafe, directions for use.
Can I use a sticker label on imported food?
Yes. SFA accepts English sticker labels if they are firmly attached at all times and do not cover other information the Food Regulations require. The original date mark must not be tampered with.
What changed in Singapore food labelling on 30 January 2026?
The Food (Amendment) Regulations 2025 require a heading for the ingredients list, declaration of added water, lot identification, directions for use where needed, country of origin for locally made food, and set a standard for gluten-free claims.
Which allergens must be declared in Singapore?
Cereals containing gluten, crustacea, eggs, fish, peanuts and soybeans, milk including lactose, tree nuts, and sulphites at 10 mg/kg or more. They are declared in the ingredients list and must not be listed by generic terms.
Which foods need a date mark?
Those listed in the Food Regulations, including cream, yoghurt, pasteurised milk and juices, chilled food, flour, chocolate, breakfast cereal, infants' food and cooking oils. The date mark is at least 3 mm high, and food past it may not be sold.
Do food additives need approval in Singapore?
Only additives assessed by SFA and on its list of permitted food additives may be used. A food with a non-permitted additive must not be imported or sold, but a business can apply to SFA to evaluate it.
Does a novel food need approval before sale in Singapore?
Yes. Novel food, without a history of use as food over the past 20 years, needs SFA pre-market approval. Supplying it without approval has been an offence under the Food Safety and Security Act since 28 November 2025.
Must GM food be labelled in Singapore?
Not specifically. Only GM food assessed as safe may be sold, and it must meet the general labelling requirements. Products may be labelled 'GM' or 'non-GM' voluntarily, if the information is factual and not misleading.
Who regulates nutrition and health claims on food?
Since 2 May 2024, nutrition labelling and nutrition and health claims are regulated by the Ministry of Health and the Health Promotion Board, while SFA keeps the general labelling requirements.
Do online food sellers need to follow SFA rules?
Yes. All food businesses, online or physical, must comply with food law, including e-commerce platforms and group-buy organisers that need no SFA licence. The sale of unsafe or unfit food is prohibited.
How does Compliant Always help with selling in Singapore?
Our team reads the rules for the markets you sell in. Compliant Always shows which apply to your product, keeps the documents behind each one ready, and watches the sources for changes. It shows what the requirements say and what your documents show; you decide.

Sources

Compliant Always is a product of Lettuce Labs LLC. It shows what requirements say and what your documents show. It is not legal advice, and you decide.

Tell us what you make, and we will show you the rules for it.

Name the product and the markets you sell in. We will come back to you with what applies in Singapore and what your paperwork needs to show.

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