Conditions Related to Use of Genetically Modified Crops in Food

What is the Process?

1. Submit proposal to SFA 

Genetically Modified (GM) crop developers who wish to supply GM crops as food or food ingredients must first submit a proposal to the Singapore Food Agency via Authorisation@sfa.gov.sg.

SFA will charge an application fee for evaluating GM food applications according to the First Schedule to the Food Safety and Security (FSSA Authorisations — Administration) Regulations 2025:

• $880 for a GM food derived or produced from any genetically modified organism with any genetic modification not covered by any current pre-market approval
• $440 for a GM food derived or produced from any genetically modified organism with genetic modifications that are derived or originate from 2 or more genetically modified organisms, which are each covered by a current pre‑market approval
• $110 for a GM food derived or produced from any genetically modified organism with genetic modifications that are —
  • a subset of the genetic modifications in another genetically modified organism; and
  • all covered by any current pre‑market approval

The application fee will be payable upon the acceptance of the application, following which, the Genetic Modification Advisory Committee of Singapore (GMAC) will conduct an evaluation on the release of agriculture-related GMOs.

2. Food Safety Evaluation by SFA

After GMAC has completed the evaluation and endorsed the application, SFA will consider GMAC’s recommendations and conduct further food safety evaluation on the GM food based on the information required in the Second Schedule to the Food Safety and Security (FSSA Authorisations — Administration) Regulations 2025. 

Refer to the list of approved GM crops for use as food in Singapore.

3. Pre-market approval

A GM food must be covered by pre-market approval from SFA before it can be lawfully supplied in Singapore, or handled (like manufacturing) for supply here, or reared or cultivated here. 

A pre-market approval for a GM food is not perpetual and may be cancelled by SFA under certain conditions set out in section 112 FSSA.  

(a) the pre‑market approval had been obtained by fraud or misrepresentation;

(b) any condition of the pre‑market approval is contravened or not complied with;

(c) after the grant of the pre‑market approval, there has been a material change to —

(i) the method by which the novel food or genetically modified food is manufactured, prepared, preserved, packaged or stored; or

(ii) any other information relating to the novel food or genetically modified food which was provided in connection with the application for the pre-market approval; or

(d) the public interest of Singapore requires the cancellation of the pre‑market approval.

The pre-market approval for a novel food also ends when the food ceases to be a novel food.

Resources

You may also read more here:

Information on biotechnology and GM foods by the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) of the United Nations

FAO GM Foods Platform

Codex Guideline for the Conduct of Food Safety Assessment of Foods Derived from Recombinant-DNA Plants

For more information
Please refer to GMAC’s website or contact SFA via the SFA Online Feedback Form.