The Sale of Food (Amendment) Bill was passed by Parliament on 7 November 2017. The proposed amendments are intended to enhance AVA’s food safety regime, protect the interests of consumers, and enable them to make informed choices.
The key proposed amendments are:
- To broaden the scope of the Act: Currently, the Sale of Food Act allows AVA to regulate food safety related issues for food products in our market. For example, by prohibiting the sale of contaminated food, and setting food safety requirements. The amendments will expand to allow AVA to prescribe new regulations that go beyond food safety. For example, AVA will be empowered to regulate the information contained on food labels and in advertisements, including requiring mandatory declarations or prohibiting certain health or nutrition related information in labels and advertisements of food products. This will help consumers make more informed buying decisions.
- To empower AVA to effect recalls of food and food contact articles: Currently, AVA can only recall a food product or food contact article after it has found the items to be contaminated with safety hazards. With the amendment, on reasonable grounds that an item poses a safety risk, AVA can issue directions to recall the item or impose corrective actions so as to remove such a risk to consumers. The amended Sale of Food Act will also stipulate the penalties for non-compliance with these directions.
- To empower AVA to license all non-retail food businesses: Currently, food importers are either compulsorily registered or licensed by AVA. Food processing establishments (e.g. meat and seafood cold stores, food manufacturers) are also licensed by AVA. On the other hand, food warehouses are registered with AVA on a voluntary basis. The amended Act will enable AVA to require all non-retail food businesses – such as warehouses, wholesalers, and distributors – to be licensed. AVA will implement this licensing process in phases starting with warehouses that store food of the highest risk category (e.g. dairy and infant food), and a grace period will be given for operators to comply.