1. Definition & classification
This article focuses on fish and fish products classified by the Singapore Food Agency (SFA). According to Regulation 71 of the Food Regulations, fish refers to any edible and wholesome part of marine or freshwater animals, excluding mammals, that are commonly consumed by humans.
Fish and fish products regulated by SFA comprise the following types, in live, chilled, frozen, processed or canned forms.
fishes
crustacean, such as crabs, lobsters, prawns, etc.
molluscs, such as squids, octopus, cuttlefish, etc.
marine sponges
trepang or marine invertebrates, such as sea cucumber
any other form of aquatic life including their young and eggs
2. Competent authority
Competent authority | Responsibility |
Singapore Food Agency (SFA) |
|
Registration and supervision of business entities | |
Customs declaration |
3. Market access approval
3.1 Pre-market assessment
Singapore follows a risk-based approach to food safety, with stricter import conditions for high-risk products. Generally, fish and fish products can be imported to Singapore from any country or region without health certificate. However, certain types of fish and fish products listed in the table below are subject to stricter import conditions.
Product types | Conditions for import |
Chilled shucked raw oysters Chilled cockle meat Chilled cooked prawn/shrimp Chilled crab meat | Import is not allowed |
Live oysters |
|
Frozen oysters Frozen blood cockle meat Frozen cooked prawns Frozen raw/cooked crab meat | Health certificate |
Frozen pearl oyster meat (adductor muscle) |
Please refer to the trade circular for details. |
Pufferfish (wild and farmed pufferfish muscle meat and farmed pufferfish parts, i.e., fins, skin and milt only) |
|
Fish species listed under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) |
|
3.2 Overseas trader licensing
Importers must obtain a trader’s licence before importing fish and fish products to Singapore. Before that, companies shall register with ACRA to get a Unique Entity Number (UEN) and activate their UEN with Singapore Customs through TradeNet. For more details, please refer to Step-by-Step Guide for New Application of Licence to Import Fish Products.
3.3 Inspection and sampling
Upon import, SFA reserves the right to inspect any imported consignment of fish and fish products. High-risk products, including frozen blood cockle meat, frozen cooked prawns, frozen raw/cooked crabmeat and frozen oysters, are subject to mandatory inspection by SFA prior to sale. These products will be subject to “hold and test” until the laboratory analysis is completed.
4. Product compliance
4.1 Product requirements
Fish and fish products in Singapore must comply with the product requirements in the Food Regulations. Please refer to the corresponding provisions in the Food Regulations for specific requirements.
Items | Regulations |
Fish and fish products | Regulation 71-77 |
Food additives | Regulation 15-28 |
Incidental constituents in food | Regulation 29-35 |
4.2 Label
Every carton and basic packaging unit of the imported fish and fish product must be labelled with the following information:
Description of the fish product
Country of origin of the fish product
Brand name of the fish product, if any
Name and designation number of the processing establishment where, and the date when, the fish product was processed, if applicable
Name and designation number of the establishment where, and the date when, the fish product was packed
Batch number and, where the fish product was canned, the canning code
Net weight of the fish product in each basic packaging unit and the outer carton
For more details on the labelling of fish products, please refer to:
ChemLinked has assisted numerous global food enterprises in achieving market access. Please feel free to contact us if you need any consultation services.
* Global Food Compliance Service
We provide various market entry services to help stakeholders better understand exporting requirements, establish business and secure a competitive place to facilitate trade development.
Covered Countries
China, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, United States, European Union, Australia, New Zealand etc.
Our Services
Food Ingredient Review
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Monitoring, Training and customized report
Please feel free to contact us via food@chemlinked.com if you need any help.
