What We Do

Our Challenge

As a small and open economy that imports most of our food, Singapore remains vulnerable to supply disruptions from climate change, disease outbreaks and geopolitical uncertainty.

Key Strategies for Ensuring Food Security

SFA adopts a multi-pronged approach to ensure that Singapore has a resilient supply of safe food. The Singapore Food Story 2 is built on four pillars to bring about overall food resilience. The four pillars are: (i) diversify imports; (ii) grow local; (iii) stockpile and (iv) global partnerships.

Diversify Imports

Import source diversification is a key strategy that reduces source concentration risks and supports industry and consumers to switch to other options during supply disruptions. Our food importers can leverage the nation’s trade connectivity to import food from over 180 countries and regions.

Grow Local

Local production serves as an assured and regenerative source of food during supply disruptions. SFA works closely with local farms to tap on technology and innovation to boost farm productivity, build resilience and be future ready. 

Stockpile

Stockpiling ensures that we have a supply of essential food items to mitigate the impact of any unforeseen supply disruptions. It buys us time while alternative sources are being secured, or supply chains are being reinstated. SFA works closely with the industry to build up our capacity to stockpile essential food items.

Global Partnerships

Global partnerships add to our existing efforts to build additional resilient food sources. With increasing interconnectedness in agri-food trade, SFA will continue to strengthen Government-to-Government relations with like-minded countries to safeguard flows of food to Singapore.

An Integrated Food Safety System

With Singapore’s food supply coming from diverse sources and the emergence of new food and food innovations, it is essential to have a robust food safety system.

SFA has in place a comprehensive, farm-to-fork food safety system to ensure that our food is safe for consumption. We adopt a science-based risk management approach, consistent with international standards, and continuously keep abreast of the latest scientific developments to ensure food safety.

SFA’s integrated food safety system is underpinned by three key considerations: 

Joint Responsibility in Food Safety and Security

The food industry, consumers and Government all have a part to play in ensuring a supply of safe food.

The Government aims to create an enabling environment by putting in place a regulatory framework to ensure food safety and relevant strategies to safeguard our food security.

Food business operators are responsible for the safety of the food they offer to the public and need to maintain high food safety standards. To strengthen our food resilience, businesses can also actively explore new sources of food and tap on local produce to further diversify supplies.

Consumers can do their part too and adhere to good food safety practices and make informed food safety decisions. We can all contribute to Singapore’s food security by being flexible and adaptable with our food options by switching to alternatives when needed, and supporting local produce.