Singapore Revises Import Procedures for Additional Processed Meat and Egg Products

On November 15, 2024, Singapore Food Agency (SFA) released an announcement, stating that it has reviewed the import procedures of additional processed meat and egg products from accredited processing establishments. In addition, the following four changes are proposed, which will take effect from December 1, 2024.

1. Procedure Changes

SFA will shift from a product-based approval system to a framework based on the commodity form and species of the processed products intended for import.

Products	Commodity Form	Species intended for export
Meat*	Processed (with heat-treatment) Processed (with and without heat-treatment)** Canned/Retort	Poultry*** Pork Beef Mutton Game
Egg	Processed (with heat-treatment) Processed (with and without heat-treatment, including salted and preserved) Canned/Retort	Poultry
Note: * Processed meat product includes processed edible offal. Processed moisture-infused pork, fat/beef tallow-injected beef products, animal blood curd/blood tofu and marinated raw meat are excluded. * Poultry refers to a chicken, turkey, duck, goose, quail, squab, guinea fowl or pheasant.

2. Application Exemption

Currently, if oversea enterprises wish to export additional processed products beyond the original approved quantity, it must obtain an additional approval from the SFA. From December 1, 2024, no application is required for exporting additional processed products of the same form and species as currently approved, while an application is only needed for new forms and/or species of commodities.

3. Refined Health Certificate Requirements

While the existing requirements for individual products to be listed in the health certificate remain unchanged, their commodity form (e.g., processed with or without heat treatment) shall be clearly indicate next to each exported product.

4. Expanded Definition of Poultry

Previously, poultry limited to the four most common species: chicken, duck, goose and turkey.

After the review, the definition of poultry will be expanded to include chicken, turkey, duck, geese, quail, squab, guinea fowl, and pheasant.

ChemLinked Suggestion

The updates may simplify the process for oversea enterprises looking to export processed meat and egg products to Singapore, especially if their products match the forms and species already approved.
Oversea enterprises must ensure their products meet the new requirements regarding commodity form and clearly indicate the commodity form in the health certificates. Non-compliance could lead to export delays.
If the processed meat or poultry products produced by oversea enterprises fall under the newly defined categories, there may be additional market opportunities available.