Food Regulations - Singapore Statutes Online

ELEVENTH SCHEDULE

Regulation 35

Microbiological standards for food

[S 608/2023 wef 04/03/2024]

MICROBIOLOGICAL STANDARDS FOR
READY-TO-EAT FOOD

Part 1

ENTEROBACTERIACEAE AND ESCHERICHIA COLI

1. The amount of Enterobacteriaceae (including Escherichia coli of any strain) detected in any ready-to-eat food, other than the ready-to-eat food mentioned in paragraph 2, must be less than 10,000 colony forming units per gram (for solid food) or millilitre (for liquid food).

2. Paragraph 1 does not apply to any ready-to-eat food —

(a)	that is fresh fruit, fresh vegetable or ripened cheese; or
(b)	that contains as an ingredient one or more of the ready-to-eat food mentioned in sub-paragraph (a).

3. The amount of Escherichia coli of any strain detected in any ready-to-eat food must be less than 100 colony forming units per gram (for solid food) or millilitre (for liquid food).

Part 2

PATHOGENS

1. The amount of pathogen of the type specified in the first column of the following table that is detected in any ready-to-eat food must be less than the number of colony forming units specified for that pathogen in the second column of the table:

Pathogen

Colony forming units
per gram (for solid food)
or millilitre (for liquid food)

Bacillus cereus

200

Clostridium perfringens

100

Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus

100

2. Where any ready-to-eat food is a type of ready-to-eat raw seafood, the amount of Vibrio parahaemolyticus detected in the ready-to-eat food must be less than 100 colony forming units per gram (for solid food) or millilitre (for liquid food).

3. Any pathogen not mentioned in paragraph 1 or 2 (whether common, or introduced in any way, to the ready-to-eat food) must not be detected in any ready-to-eat food.

[S 237/2020 wef 03/04/2020]

MICROBIOLOGICAL STANDARDS FOR
NON-READY-TO-EAT FOOD

Part 3

NON-READY-TO-EAT FOOD

1. In this Part —

“non-intact”, for a beef product, means a beef product that has been subject to a process (for example, injection with a solution, mechanical tenderisation or comminution) that allows pathogens to penetrate below the beef product’s exterior surface into the beef product’s interior;

“small consignment” means —

(a)	for a consignment of shell eggs, a consignment that does not exceed 10,000 shell eggs; and
(b)	for a consignment of any other article of food, a consignment that does not exceed 100 kg or 50 units of the article of food.

2. An article of food complies with a microbiological standard for a pathogen if, for the number of samples specified in the table for that article —

(a)

the amount of pathogen in each sample does not exceed the m limit; or

(b)

sub-paragraph (a) is not satisfied but —

(i)	the number of samples where the amount of pathogen exceeds the m limit does not exceed the c number; and
(ii)	the amount of pathogen in each sample does not exceed the M limit.

Table 1 — Beef Products (non-intact)

First column

Second column

Third column

Fourth column

Fifth column

Pathogen

Number of samples

c number

m limit

M limit

1.	Escherichia coli O157:H7

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

2.	Non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145)

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

Table 2 — Blood-cockles and Oysters

First column

Second column

Third column

Fourth column

Fifth column

Pathogen

Number of samples

c number

m limit

M limit

1.	Salmonella spp.

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

2.	Shigella spp.

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

3.	Vibrio cholerae

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

4.	Vibrio parahaemolyticus

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

2 (except for a small consignment, 0)

100 colony forming units in one g

1000 colony forming units in one g

5.	Vibrio vulnificus

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

Table 3 — Meat and Meat Products

First column

Second column

Third column

Fourth column

Fifth column

Pathogen

Number of samples

c number

m limit

M limit

1.	Salmonella Enteritidis

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

2.	Salmonella spp. (except for Salmonella Enteritidis, Salmonella Typhi, Salmonella Paratyphi A and Salmonella Paratyphi B)

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

1 (except for a small consignment, 0)

Not detected in 25 g

3.	Salmonella Typhi

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

4.	Salmonella Paratyphi A

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

5.	Salmonella Paratyphi B

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

Table 4 — Pasteurised Poultry Shell Eggs and other Pasteurised Egg Products

First column

Second column

Third column

Fourth column

Fifth column

Pathogen

Number of samples

c number

m limit

M limit

1.	Listeria monocytogenes (for any pasteurised liquid egg product)

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

2.	Salmonella spp.

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

Table 5 — Raw Poultry Shell Eggs and other Raw Egg Products

First column

Second column

Third column

Fourth column

Fifth column

Pathogen

Number of samples

c number

m limit

M limit

1.	Salmonella Enteritidis

5 (except for a small consignment, one)

Not detected in 25 g

[S 608/2023 wef 04/03/2024]

Search within Legislation