Singapore Beverage Regulation

1. Competent authority

Competent authority	Responsibility
Singapore Food Agency (SFA)	Licensing for and registration of traders Inspection and sampling of imported products Review of novel food safety assessment Drafting of food regulations
Accounting and Corporate Regulatory Authority (ACRA)	Registration and supervision of business entities
Singapore Customs	Customs declaration

2. Market access approval

2.1 Pre-market assessment

Beverages are regulated as “processed food” and can be imported into Singapore from any country or region, provided that they meet SFA’s conditions. However, some high-risk beverage types are subject to pre-market assessment of regulated manufacturing premises and health certificates, etc., as prescribed in Import Requirements of Specific Food Products. Examples of the high-risk beverage types and the pre-market assessment are shown below:

High-risk products	Pre-market assessment
Pasteurized Liquid Milk from FMD-free countries	Documentary proof of regulated premises Health certificate (every consignment)
Coconut Milk	Documentary proof of regulated premises Laboratory report
Packaged Mineral and Drinking Water	Authentication certificate of the mineral water/ a copy of the licence of the drinking water factory Health certificate (every consignment)
Absinthe	Laboratory report Documentary proof from relevant authority confirming the product is allowed for sale
Milk from China	Health certificate issued by the Chinese authority Laboratory report
Camel Milk	Information on the foreign Competent Authority's national food inspection and certification system Inspection reports Documentary proof of regulated premises Process flow chart of the heat treatment Health certificate (every consignment)

2.2 Overseas trader registration

Importers must register with SFA before importing beverages 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 Registration to Import Processed Food Products.

2.3 Inspection and sampling

All food consignments are subject to inspection, during which SFA collects samples for laboratory analysis. Inspection items include microbiological, pesticides, drug residues, preservatives, contaminants, and additives.

3. Product compliance

3.1 Product requirements

Beverages 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
Fruit juices and fruit cordials	Regulation 171-175
Non-alcoholic drinks	Regulation 180-184
Nutri-grade requirements for beverages	Regulation 184A-184F
Alcoholic drinks	Regulation 185-210
Food additives	Regulation 15-28
Incidental constituents in food	Regulation 29-35

3.2 Label

Beverages in Singapore should follow the labeling requirements in the Food Regulations. Importers can also refer to A Guide to Food Labelling and Advertisements.

Singapore has special labeling requirements for beverages subject to Nutri-Grade system, which grades beverages into four levels (A to D) by sugar and saturated fat content.

It is voluntary for enterprises to indicate Nutri-Grade mark on Grade “A” or“B” beverages. However, beverage whose grade is “C” or“D” must be labelled with Nutri-Grade mark. Please check Regulation 184D of the Food Regulations for more details of Nutri-Grade mark.

Some other major labeling requirements regarding beverages include:

Any non-alcoholic drink for human consumption without dilution, if incorporates the name of a fruit, vegetable or flower in its name but does not contain the juice of that fruit, vegetable or flower, shall be labelled in the following manner:

(Name of fruit, vegetable or flower) — ade;
(Name of fruit, vegetable or flower) flavoured drink;
Imitation (name of fruit, vegetable or flower) drink.

If certain sweetening agents are added at the level as shown in the table below, some beverage types must be labeled with an advisory statement that children of 9 years old and below should not consume more than 2 servings a day, 250mL per serving.

Category	Sweetening agents and the maximum permissible level
Dairy-based drinks (flavoured and/orfermented)	(i) 350ppm acesulfame-K and/or (ii) 250ppm cyclamates (as cyclamic acid)
Fruit drinks	(i) 350ppm acesulfame-K and/or (ii) 250ppm cyclamates (as cyclamic acid) and/or (iii) 125ppm steviol glycosides (as steviol)
Vegetable juice drinks	(i) 350ppm acesulfame-K and/or (ii) 400ppm cyclamates (as cyclamic acid) and/or (iii) 125ppm steviol glycosides (as steviol)

* 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
Label Review
Product Registration
Regulatory Consultation
Monitoring, Training and customized report

Please feel free to contact us via food@chemlinked.com if you need any help.