Do online food sellers require a licence from SFA to operate?
Online food businesses may require relevant licences from SFA based on the nature of their business activity. If the online food businesses engage in activities that require a licence from SFA, such as the import of food items, they must obtain the relevant licences before commencing their operations.
For instance, if the nature of the online business is to import meat and meat products to sell online, the company must have a meat import licence as any import of meat and meat products requires a licence.
Similarly, if you also operate a physical brick-and-mortar shop that requires any handling, cooking or processing of food, you must apply for a food shop licence from SFA before you commence your business operations.
Conversely, if your online food business is solely to resell food products from a local distributor online without any handling, cooking or processing of food, and you do not have a physical store, you do not require a licence to sell food online.