New licensing framework for food establishments from 2023, factoring in their food safety track record over several years

• The new licensing framework will do away with the letter grading system
• Each food establishment will receive a Gold, Silver or Bronze award instead
• This will correspond to the tenure of the food licence granted to them
• To qualify for any of the awards, they must have a good track record, such as not having any major food safety lapses over a period of time

SINGAPORE — For the past 24 years, food establishments have been given grades of "A", "B", "C" or "D" for their premises' food safety in a given year. From 2023, a new licensing framework will be used that will instead grant them "Gold", "Silver" or "Bronze" awards based on their track record over a number of years, the Singapore Food Agency (SFA) announced on Monday (Oct 25).

This new Safety Assurance for Food Establishments framework, which will also be applied to food stalls at hawker centres, will provide better food safety assurance to consumers as it will focus on food establishments’ food safety track records.

Dr Tan Lee Kim, the director-general of food administration and deputy chief executive officer of SFA, said that unlike the current system, it is not just an annual grading audit that provides a snapshot reflection of a food establishment’s food safety and hygiene standards.

“This is a better representation of the food establishment’s consistent efforts in food safety assurance and can enable consumers to make better informed choices.”

The present grading system was introduced by the National Environment Agency in 1997.

In June 2018, the agency said that it would overhaul the grading scheme, adding that while it had been useful, it had reached its limits because 99 per cent of licensees had already achieved an A or B grade for its hygiene and cleanliness by the end of 2017.

To qualify for any of the awards, food establishments need to have a good track record, for instance:

• They must not have any major food safety lapses over a period of time
• They must have a food hygiene officer and advanced food hygiene officer employed
• They must implement a food safety management system in place

The awards correspond to a three-, five-, or 10-year licence duration, where the higher the award tier one receives, the longer the duration of the licence granted.

Food establishments that have demonstrated good track record of food safety assurance and have in place capabilities and systems to ensure better food safety standards will be eligible for longer licence durations and higher award tiers, SFA said.

The criteria to get an award, however, varies with the category under which the food establishment is listed.

Those that are involved in significant food handling practices with higher food safety risks are placed in category A, while those involved in moderate food handling and food storage practices with lower food safety risks are placed in category B.

For example, a food establishment under category A will receive a Gold award and 10-year licence if it has gone 10 years without a major lapse, has an advanced food hygiene officer and has implemented a food safety management system that has been ​​certified by an accredited certification body.

A food establishment under category B can receive a Gold award and 10-year licence after meeting the singular requirement of going 10 years without a major lapse.

New establishments or those that have gone less than two years without a major lapse in categories A and B will be awarded with a one-year licence and will not have an award tier. Those in category A will also need to appoint a food hygiene officer.

Food establishments that are involved in minimal food handling and food storage practices that have negligible food safety risks are placed in category C. Those under this category will not be given any awards, but will be given licences.

The framework is expected to be launched from Jan 1 in 2023, and will apply across retail and non-retail food establishments. 

For hawkers, their licence durations will be dependent on the tenancy agreement period, SFA said.  

Individual food establishments will be notified next year of their award tiers based on their track record of food safety assurance.

SFA added that food establishments will be given enough time to comply with the necessary requirements, such as adopting a food safety management system and appointing an advanced food hygiene officer to attain the desired award tier when the framework comes into force in 2023. 

To support and complement the framework, SFA has also launched a series of food safety courses for managers in food establishments.