Wholesome Meat and Fish (Processing Establishments and Cold Stores) Rules

Wholesome Meat and Fish Act

(Chapter 349A, Section 42)

Wholesome Meat and Fish
(Processing Establishments and Cold Stores) Rules

R 3

G.N. No. S 555/1999

REVISED EDITION 2001

(31st January 2001)

[10th December 1999]

Citation

1. These Rules may be cited as the Wholesome Meat and Fish (Processing Establishments and Cold Stores) Rules.

Definitions

2. In these Rules, unless the context otherwise requires —

“harmful substance” means any substance, material or other article which, if introduced into or allowed to come into contact with any meat product, fish product or processing ingredient, would —

(a)	adulterate or contaminate the meat product, fish product or processing ingredient; or
(b)	otherwise render the meat product, fish product or processing ingredient unfit for human consumption,

and includes any pesticide residue, organic or inorganic compound, hormone, hormone-like substance, growth promoter, antibiotic, anthelminthic, therapeutic or prophylactic agent, radio-active fallout, which may be harmful to human health if ingested;

“licence” means a licence granted by the Director-General under section 13 of the Act which permits the holder thereof to use any premises as a processing establishment or cold store;

“licensee” means a person who holds a valid licence;

“processing ingredient” means any substance which is used or intended to be used in the processing of meat products or fish products by being added to such products, and includes any preservative or dye-stuff.

Person to whom licence may be granted

3.—(1) The Director-General shall not grant a licence to any person unless the person is carrying on business in Singapore and is —

(a)	registered under the Business Registration Act (Cap. 32); or
(b)	in the case of a company, incorporated or registered under the Companies Act (Cap. 50).

(2) The Director-General may refuse to grant a licence to an applicant if he is satisfied that the applicant or one of his partners or, if the applicant is a body corporate, one of its directors —

(a)	had previously been convicted of an offence under the Act or these Rules; or
(b)	was the holder of a licence which had been revoked under section 8 of the Act.

Licence not transferable

4.—(1) No licensee shall transfer or assign the benefit of his licence to any other person.

(2) A licensee who contravenes paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

Licence to be exhibited

5.—(1) A licensee shall exhibit his licence in a conspicuous position in the processing establishment or cold store in respect of which the licence has been granted.

(2) A licensee who fails to comply with paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

No alteration to buildings or premises

6.—(1) A licensee shall ensure that no alteration or change shall be made to the buildings or premises of his licensed processing establishment or cold store unless plans of the alteration or change are first submitted to the Director-General or an authorised officer and his prior written approval is obtained.

(2) A licensee who fails to comply with paragraph (1) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

Prohibition against employment of persons suffering from certain diseases, etc.

7.—(1) No licensee shall employ or permit any person to work in his licensed processing establishment or cold store if he knows or has reasonable grounds for suspecting that such person —

(a)	is suffering from or is a carrier of any disease or other condition; or
(b)	is afflicted with any infected wound or sore,

that is likely to contaminate any meat product or fish product in the processing establishment or cold store or infect any other person employed therein.

(2) A licensee shall —

(a)	cause every person employed in his licensed processing establishment or cold store to be examined by a medical practitioner at the time of his appointment and at least once a year thereafter; and
(b)	obtain from the medical practitioner a certificate of fitness in respect of every such person who is found fit by the medical practitioner to be employed at the processing establishment or cold store.

(3) The certificate of fitness of every person employed at the licensed processing establishment or cold store shall —

(a)	be kept at the processing establishment or cold store, as the case may be; and
(b)	be readily available for inspection by the Director-General or an authorised officer when so required.

(4) The Director-General or an authorised officer may, from time to time, require a licensee to subject the persons employed by him in his licensed processing establishment or cold store to such additional medical examinations or such other medical tests or vaccinations as the Director-General or authorised officer thinks necessary.

(5) A licensee who fails to comply with paragraph (1), (2) or (3) or with any requirement under paragraph (4) shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

(6) In this rule, “medical practitioner” means a medical practitioner registered under the Medical Registration Act (Cap. 174).

Personal and environmental cleanliness

8.—(1) Every person who is employed in a licensed processing establishment or cold store shall handle any meat product, fish product or processing ingredient in a hygienic manner.

(2) No person who is employed in a licensed processing establishment or cold store shall —

(a)

while handling any meat product, fish product or processing ingredient —

(i)	apply his fingers to his mouth, eye, ear, nose or scalp;
(ii)	cough, spit, sneeze or expel mucus from his nose;
(iii)	smoke, or use tobacco or snuff or any other preparation or chew tobacco or betel nuts; or
(iv)	wipe his hands on his clothing or with any other material other than a clean, single-use towel; or

(b)

place any harmful substance in such manner as to be likely to come into contact with any meat product, fish product or processing ingredient.

(3) Every person who is employed in a licensed processing establishment or cold store shall, when handling any meat product, fish product or processing ingredient —

(a)	wear clean attire and keep his body clean;
(b)	wear appropriate protective attire;
(c)	protect or cover with water-proof dressing any open cut or lesion or graze on his hand;
(d)	keep his fingernails clean and short; and
(e)	upon every occasion before commencing such work, or after visiting any urinal, water closet or other similar convenience and before resuming such work, wash his hands thoroughly with soap and clean water.

(4) No person shall gamble or litter within the premises of a licensed processing establishment or cold store.

(5) No person shall vandalise or do any act which soils the premises, equipment or other appurtenances of a licensed processing establishment or cold store.

(6) Any person who contravenes or fails to comply with this rule shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $2,000.

(7) Where an offence under paragraph (6) is proved to have been committed with the consent and connivance of, or to be reasonably attributable to any neglect on the part of, the licensee of the licensed processing establishment or cold store, the licensee shall also be guilty of that offence and shall be liable to be proceeded against and punished accordingly.

Power of Director-General to issue directives

9.—(1) The Director-General may, from time to time, issue to licensees such written directives as he thinks necessary for the proper control and management of licensed processing establishments or cold stores.

(2) Without prejudice to the generality of paragraph (1), the Director-General may issue written directives —

(a)	regulating the operation or functioning of licensed processing establishments or cold stores;
(b)	requiring licensees to implement such quality assurance programmes as the Director-General thinks fit;
(c)	prescribing standards to regulate the exposure of meat products or fish products to microbial and chemical contaminants;
(d)	regulating the manner in which any meat product or fish product that has been processed in a licensed processing establishment is packed and labelled;
(e)	regulating the use of processing ingredients and any substance or material used in connection with the marking, tagging, packing or labelling of meat products or fish products in a licensed processing establishment or cold store;
(f)	prohibiting the keeping or use in a licensed processing establishment or cold store of any meat product, fish product or processing ingredient that is, or that the Director-General has reasonable cause to believe to be, adulterated, contaminated or otherwise unfit for human consumption;
(g)	prohibiting the keeping or use in a licensed processing establishment or cold store of any harmful substance; and
(h)	requiring the licensee to furnish at such times and in such manner as the Director-General may specify, such information as the Director-General may require relating to the operation and functioning of the licensed processing establishment or cold store.

(3) Where the Director-General has reason to believe that any meat product or fish product which has been processed in a licensed processing establishment is adulterated, contaminated or otherwise unfit for human consumption, the Director-General may issue a written directive to the licensee of the processing establishment requiring the licensee to forthwith recall all stocks and to cease the sale, supply or distribution, of the meat product or fish product.

(4) Any licensee who, without lawful excuse, fails to comply with any written directive issued under this rule shall be guilty of an offence and shall be liable on conviction to a fine not exceeding $10,000.

Offences to be compoundable

10. All offences under these Rules may be compounded in accordance with section 39 of the Act.

[G.N. No. S 555/99]

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