Singapore Proposes Revision of Novel Food Approvals with New “Defined Food” Category – vegconomist

The Singapore Food Agency (FSA) and the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment (MSE) recently issued a new draft, the Food Safety and Security Bill (FSSB), proposing a new category, “Defined Food,” and new requirements for pre-market approval of these foods or ingredients.
Under the FSSB, novel foods would be considered a sub-category of “Defined Food,” along with genetically modified (GM) foods, and insect-like species, all subject already to pre-market approval but will need to meet additional regulatory requirements before being imported or sold in the country.
According to the document, “Defined Food” includes food that consists of or contains novel or genetically modified ingredients that have not received pre-market approval, as well as any insect-like species that are not cataloged as such.
The bill, open for public comments until next week, aims to strengthen Singapore’s food safety and security framework and consolidate existing regulations such as the Sale of Food Act and the Feeding Stuffs Act.
© Nishihama – stock.adobe.com
Pre-market approval
The FSSB also proposes new requirements to formalize and improve the management of Singapore’s current novel food application procedures, which allow companies to obtain pre-market approval for cultivated meat, fermentation-based, and insect-derived proteins.
As The National Law Review reported, the FSA will provide specific instructions on how to submit pre-market approval applications in the future. For example, applicants may be required to have a local contact in Singapore for the application process or applications that do not include all of the necessary data requirements set by the authority may be rejected.
Other proposed requirements in the draft aim to frame how the approval is granted, how long it remains valid, and the process for cancelling or transferring the approval. The bill also establishes relevant penalties, such as imposing strict liability on individuals who supply food that requires preapproval but fail to obtain it.
Meanwhile, implementing FSSB will streamline the approval process for genetically modified (GM) food by incorporating it into the pre-market approval of “Defined Food.” Currently, Singapore’s Genetic Modification Advisory Committee is responsible for agriculture-related GMOs and provides the FSA with technical reports for approval. 
© Eat Just-GOOD Meat
A hub for alt proteins
Singapore has become a leading hub for alternative proteins due to the ambitious targets set by the FSA to produce 30% of the nation’s nutritional needs locally by 2030. However, to achieve this enormous goal, many alternatives to meat and dairy, from plant-based products to novel food, must be produced and commercialized in this densely populated country with land scarcity.
Since its establishment in 2019, the SFA introduced the novel food regulatory framework, which requires companies to seek pre-market approval by conducting and submitting safety assessments for their novel food to the SFA for review before the products are allowed for sale.
This system granted GOOD Meat’s cultivated chicken approval in 2020, making Singapore the first country to sell cultivated meat. The Finnish company Solar Foods has also received approval to sell its air protein Solein in the city-state, as well as the Dutch fermentation specialist The Protein Brewery for its flagship mycelium-derived ingredient Fermotein.
Companies such as Vital Meat, Aleph Farms (recently approved in Israel to sell cultivated beef steaks), CellMEAT, and Meatable, among others,  are now looking to enter the Singaporean market.
“This consultation is the first of the series of public consultations, and concerns only “Defined food and pre-market approval.” We welcome feedback on how we can work together to collectively ensure a resilient supply of safe food for Singapore,” the document states.

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