Singapore Revises Food Labeling Rules and Refines Food Regulatory Framework
In February 2025, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) released Food (Amendment) Regulations 2025 (“Amendment”)[1], which will take effect on January 30, 2026. The Amendment introduces a series of updates to Singapore’s food labeling requirements, aiming to align them more closely with international standards, particularly the labeling provisions outlined in the Codex Standards[2].
One of the most notable changes in the Amendment is the introduction of specific regulatory requirements for foods labeled and sold as “gluten-free.” In order to standardize the use of gluten-related claims and avoid misleading claims, the Amendment provides clear definitions and criteria for terms such as “gluten,” “gluten-free food,” “naturally gluten-free food,” and “reduced gluten food.” It further requires that food that is naturally gluten-free must not be labeled with the words “special dietary,” “special dietetic,” or any words of similar meaning.
The Amendment also brings updates to the declaration of the ingredient list on food labels. Specifically, it clarifies that processing aids are exempt from being included in the ingredient list, which aligns with international practices. To enhance readability and consistency, the ingredient list section must now be clearly identified with a heading or title, such as “Ingredients.” In addition, the list of ingredients permissible for declaration by their generic terms has been expanded under the First Schedule of the Amendment. For instance, caseinate and cheese are now listed as generic names that can be used in place of specific names.
Further, the legislation amends the existing requirements when declaring fish and flavourings as generic terms in the ingredient list. For example, compared with the current version, the term “flavouring” can still be used to describe flavourings; however, the source of the flavouring – such as “natural,” “nature-identical,” or “artificial,” or a combination of these terms – must now be specified.
Another recent landmark development for Singapore’s food regulatory framework is that the Food Safety and Security Act 2025 (“Act”)[3] has now been introduced and assented to the President of Singapore in February 2025, known as the Food Safety & Security Bill (FSSB) during its legislative process. The Act establishes a comprehensive regulatory framework that covers food safety requirements across all channels of food distribution, representing a transformative step in modernizing Singapore’s approach to food safety and security. For example, it integrates the existing regulatory framework for novel foods by introducing the concept of “defined foods,” which formalizes and enhances the management of novel foods (e.g., cultured meat products, fermentation-derived food ingredients, and insect-based ingredients). For more details, you may refer to our newsletter – Singapore Introduces New Legislation Regulating Food Alternative Proteins and More.
This consolidation repeals the Sale of Food Act of 1973[4] and the Wholesome Meat and Fish Act 1999[5], establishing a single, coherent framework for food safety. By unifying these previously separate regulations, the new framework eliminates redundancies and inconsistencies, providing greater clarity and convenience for industry stakeholders. However, it’s worth noting that the specific requirements concerning food labeling (e.g., nutrition labeling), food additives, and food contaminants (e.g., limits of heavy metals), as outlined in the Food Regulations, are not included in the Act. This means that companies still need to refer to those details in the Food Regulations for day-to-day compliance checks.
The Act is expected to be implemented in phases between the end of 2025 and 2028[6]. For overseas food businesses operating in Singapore, it is advisable to fully review the Act and ensure compliance with Singapore-specific requirements under the Act.
Keller and Heckman counsels the food industry on various regulatory matters for companies around the world. Please sign up for our newsletters here.
In the meantime, if you have any questions about this topic or would like more information about food laws and regulations in Singapore or other Asian countries, please do not hesitate to contact David Ettinger (ettinger@khlaw.com), Jenny Li (li@khlaw.com), or your existing contact at Keller and Heckman LLP.
[1] https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL-Supp/S92-2025/Published/20250131?DocDate=20250131
[2] SFA indicated that this set of amendments makes changes to the Food Regulations with respect to labelling requirements for prepacked foods to incorporate relevant labelling provisions in the Codex Standards, including Codex General Standard for the Labelling of Prepackaged Foods (CXS 1-1985), Codex General Guidelines on Claims (CXG 1-1979), Codex Standard for Foods for Special Dietary Use for Persons Intolerant to Gluten (CXS 118-1979). See https://www.sfa.gov.sg/news-publications/circulars-and-notices/circulars/food--amendment--regulations-2025.
[3] https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/FSSA2025/Uncommenced/20250226?DocDate=20250206
[4] https://sso.agc.gov.sg/SL/SFA1973-RG1
[5] https://sso.agc.gov.sg/Act/WMFA1999
[6] https://www.mse.gov.sg/latest-news/2nd-reading-food-safety-security-bill-opening-speech-sms-koh-poh-koon