Govt, industry and consumers all have a part to play in ensuring accurate food labels: SFA
Shoppers at a farmers' market at Cairnhill Community Club in Jan 2019.
I refer to Mr Francis Cheng Choon Fei’s letter “Clamp down on misleading food labels” (Nov 8).
Under the Singapore Food Regulations, the industry has to provide the following mandatory information on the labels of prepacked food products:
- Name/description of food
- Statement of ingredients for products made of two or more ingredients
- Net quantity of food present in package
- The name of the country of origin (that is, where the product is last processed into the final product for sale)
- The name and address of Singapore manufacturer or importers/agents/distributors for the product.
The information is important for traceability and recall in case there are food safety concerns, and to help consumers make informed food choices at the point of purchase. More information on the labelling requirements can be found on the SFA website.
Consumers may also find other information such as claims of quality of the food (e.g. “fresh”, “natural”, “premium”) and agricultural/manufacturing practice (e.g. good manufacturing practice, organic production) on a food label, which are provided voluntarily by the industry.
Food safety and quality is a joint responsibility of the Government, the industry and consumers.
The industry is responsible for adhering to the labelling requirements, such as ensuring the accuracy of information declared on the food labels.
Consumers should also exercise discretion when choosing food products based on the information provided on the label. Consumers who have queries on the claims on food labels may contact the companies for more information.
As part of our food safety regime, SFA conducts checks to ensure that food products comply with the labelling requirements.
Members of the public may also submit feedback to SFA at our website, if they suspect these claims to be false.
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