Online food businesses must comply with prevailing food safety laws and regulations. Online food sellers, a type of online food business, sell food online via online marketplaces, social media platforms, and food delivery platforms.

Other types of online food businesses include group buyers and food delivery service providers. 

For more information, see:

·         Guidelines for Group-Buy Organisers

·         Requirements for Food Delivery Businesses

Online food businesses may require relevant licences from SFA based on the nature of their business activity. If the online food businesses engage in activities that require a licence from SFA, such as the import of food items, they must obtain the relevant licences before commencing their operations. For instance, if the nature of the online business is to import meat and meat products to sell online, the company must have a meat import licence as any import of meat and meat products requires a licence.

Similarly, if you also operate a physical brick-and-mortar shop that requires any handling, cooking or processing of food, you must apply for a food shop licence from SFA before you commence your business operations. Conversely, if your online food business is solely to resell food products from a local distributor online without any handling, cooking or processing of food, and you do not have a physical store, you do not require a licence to sell food online.

In addition to complying with the prevailing food laws, online food sellers also have the responsibility to ensure that the food they sell is obtained from SFA-regulated sources.

To better understand your responsibilities, download the Guidelines for food sellers selling food online via e-commerce platforms.

Please refer to Requirements for Online Food Seller for more information.