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Who must comply with the requirements imposed on food delivery businesses?
Food delivery businesses, a type of online food business, deliver Ready-to-Eat (RTE) food from food retail outlets, such as restaurants, supermarkets and food stalls, to customers.
What laws must food delivery businesses comply with?
Under prevailing food safety laws, operators must ensure that the way in which food is delivered to customers does not compromise food safety.
What are the responsibilities of food delivery businesses?
They are responsible for ensuring that the food they deliver to customers is transported in a manner that does not compromise food safety.
Are food delivery workers required to attend food safety courses?
Food delivery workers are not directly involved in the handling and preparation of food, such as the washing and cutting of raw food, and the processing of RTE food. As such, they are not required to attend the WSQ Food Safety Course Level 1, which is meant for food handlers.
Are there any industry standards for food delivery businesses to follow?
To ensure that food is safe for consumption, food delivery businesses can follow the Guidelines on the delivery of RTE food (Singapore Standard SS 672:2021), which can be purchased from the Singapore Standards eShop.
What does the standard cover?
The standard’s guidelines emphasise food safety practices for RTE food from packaging to delivery.
For example, food retail outlets should pack RTE meals in a clean and sanitised area, separated from raw food to prevent cross-contamination.
Food should also be maintained consistently at the correct temperature, i.e. hot or cold chains should be maintained, for the duration of the delivery.
Who does the industry standard apply to?
The standard applies to all food delivery service providers, including self-delivery services by food retail outlets, freelance delivery operators, and food delivery companies.
While the standard is not mandatory, food delivery service providers that follow the guidelines are playing their part in ensuring food is safe for consumption.
How does the standard safeguard consumers?
The standard improves food safety and helps maintain the quality and integrity of food products.
For instance, the guidelines include measures to prevent contamination that can lead to foodborne illnesses. There are also guidelines on handling and delivering RTE meals to prevent spoilage.
Consumers who buy food from food delivery service providers that adopt the standards are more assured of the food’s safety and quality.
How do businesses adopt the standard?
You can follow the standard’s guidelines to improve your business processes. For more information, please visit the EnterpriseSG website.
Who developed the standard?
The standard was jointly developed by a multi-stakeholder Working Group, comprising Food Industry Asia (FIA) and the Singapore Food Agency (SFA), in partnership with the Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) and various industry players.
The Working Group was appointed by the Singapore Standards Council (SSC) and overseen by Enterprise Singapore (EnterpriseSG).
For more information.
You can contact us via the SFA Online Feedback Form.
