Traders who are registered or licensed by SFA to import food for commercial sale in Singapore are advised to check on the requirements.  Please refer to our FAQ ‘How do I import food for commercial sale’ on the main steps for importing food for sale'.

Novel food comprises food or food ingredients that do not have a history of human consumption over the past 20 years. It also includes traditionally consumed food ingredients produced through advances in technology (e.g. production of proteins through precision fermentation).

SFA has a Novel Food Regulatory Framework in place to ensure that only novel food which is safe for human consumption can be manufactured, imported, distributed, or sold in Singapore.

You must obtain SFA’s pre-market approval before producing/manufacturing, importing, distributing, or selling novel food or food ingredients. To obtain pre-market approval, you must conduct and submit safety assessments of your novel food products for SFA’s review to ascertain that potential food safety issues have been addressed and the novel food product is safe for consumption.

Traders must comply with the following import requirements for novel food:

• Step 1: Download the Requirements for the Safety Assessment of Novel Food and Novel Food Ingredients and review the detailed requirements

• Step 2: Consult SFA

• Step 3: Conduct safety assessments

• Step 4: Complete self-assessments

• Step 5: Submit your application

• Step 6: SFA reviews your application

• Step 7: Receive pre-market approval

Please refer to How do I comply with the import requirements for Novel Food for the details.