Koh Poh Koon on ‘use by’ and’ best before’ date labels for food products
Under Singapore’s regulations, “use by” and “best before” are both used to indicate the expiry date on food products beyond which the food product is not permitted to be sold due to possible deterioration in quality. They are internationally accepted terms from Codex, the food standards body established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. They are the general standard for the labelling of prepackaged foods, commonly used by food manufacturers both locally and overseas. Standardising the use of date marks to a specific term will require the industry to tailor the packaging to the Singapore market, adding to the compliance burden. This may result in additional packaging costs which the industry can pass on to consumers. Given the small size of Singapore’s market, overseas food manufacturers may also choose not to change their packaging to meet the country’s requirements. This could inadvertently reduce Singapore’s food import sources. Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon said this in reply to an MP’s question in Parliament on Wednesday (Feb 7).
Under Singapore’s regulations, “use by” and “best before” are both used to indicate the expiry date on food products beyond which the food product is not permitted to be sold due to possible deterioration in quality. They are internationally accepted terms from Codex, the food standards body established by the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations and the World Health Organization. They are the general standard for the labelling of prepackaged foods, commonly used by food manufacturers both locally and overseas. Standardising the use of date marks to a specific term will require the industry to tailor the packaging to the Singapore market, adding to the compliance burden. This may result in additional packaging costs which the industry can pass on to consumers. Given the small size of Singapore’s market, overseas food manufacturers may also choose not to change their packaging to meet the country’s requirements. This could inadvertently reduce Singapore’s food import sources. Senior Minister of State for Sustainability and the Environment Koh Poh Koon said this in reply to an MP’s question in Parliament on Wednesday (Feb 7).
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