Singapore – Export requirements for meat and poultry products

On this page

1. Eligible/ineligible products
2. Pre-export approvals
3. Product specifications, production controls and inspection requirements
4. Labelling, packaging and marking requirements
5. Documentation
6. Other requirements

1. Eligible/ineligible products

1.1 Eligible products

• 1.1.1 Beef meat products
  • 1.1.1.1 produced on or after March 27, 2021
  • The following products derived from cattle born and raised in Canada and/or imported from a country approved by Singapore and recognized by the World Organization of Animal Health (WOAH; founded as Office International des Épizooties (OIE)) as a bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) negligible risk country, with the exception of the beef products listed below under points 1.2.1 and 1.2.1.1
    • beef cuts (bone-in and boneless) and offal derived from cattle of all ages, including ground beef and beef patties (without any additives added)
    • processed beef products, such as heat-processed or cured beef (including sausages and jerky)
• 1.1.1.2 produced before March 27, 2021
  • The following products with the exception of the beef products listed below under points 1.2.1 and 1.2.1.2:
    • deboned beef cuts from cattle of all ages and bone in beef cuts from cattle under 30 months of age
    • bone-in and deboned beef obtained from cattle of all ages imported from a country approved by Singapore and recognized by the WOAH as a BSE negligible risk country
• 1.1.2 Pork products, including "Chilled pork" and "Moisture-Infused Pork (MIP)", except those listed under point 1.2.2 below
• 1.1.3 Poultry meat products

1.2 Ineligible products

• 1.2.1 Beef products: brains, eyes, spinal cord, skull and vertebral column from cattle 30 months and older, and tonsils and distal ileum, from cattle of all age, and when
  • 1.2.1.1 Beef products produced on or after March 27, 2021: processed beef products containing mechanically separated/recovered meat
  • • 1.2.1.2 Beef products produced before March 27, 2021: mechanically separated (MSM)/recovered (MRM) meat, processed beef meat products and offal
    • Note: the above restrictions 1.2.1.1 and 1.2.1.2 have been eliminated from the revised certification requirements which are effective March 1, 2022 and do not apply to beef produced on or after March 1, 2022.
  • 1.2.2 Pork products: chilled pork derived from boars or ridglings

2. Pre-export approvals

Establishments manufacturing beef products.

Routine procedures must be followed. The operator should submit a request for approval using the "Application for establishment approval - Annex I".

Please refer to Annex 1 for the "List of Establishments Approved to Export to Singapore".

3. Products specifications, production controls and inspection requirements

3.1 Products specifications

• 3.1.1 All beef products
  • shall not contain and shall not be contaminated with brains, eyes, spinal cord, skull and vertebral column from cattle 30 months and older, and tonsils and distal ileum, from cattle of all age
  • shall be derived from cattle that were not suspect or confirmed BSE cases and were not suspect or confirmed cohorts of BSE cases as described in the WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code
• • 3.1.2 Eligible canned beef products (produced as of May 27, 2021)
  • Retort processed meat products (for example canned meat) should be heat treated (sterilizing process with sterilizing value of not less than F₀3) to achieve commercial sterility in hermetically sealed containers and should be shelf stable at ambient temperatures
• 3.1.3 Chilled pork
  • shall be derived from gilts or castrated market hogs (castrates)
  • chemical microbial interventions are not authorized on chilled pork with the exception of chlorine
    • Singaporean authorities accept the use of chlorine on pork carcasses only, when applied in accordance with applicable Canadian requirements
    • It must be noted that the use of chlorine on meat cuts is not permitted by Singaporean authorities
  • the processing and packaging of the product must ensure an extended shelf life (at least 6 weeks) for the products
    • the operator will have to provide a letter guaranteeing that the production is done under strict hygienic conditions, that the product is vacuum packed (or otherwise packed, for example, controlled atmosphere), and has a shelf life of at least 6 weeks for sea shipment
    • the shelf life for vacuum packed chilled pork that is transported by air should be at least 3 weeks
• 3.1.4 Chemical microbial interventions/Pathogen reduction treatments (PRTs)
  • As of August 11, 2022, Singapore approved the use of additional antimicrobial agents on meat and poultry meat, on carcasses and meat cuts. A complete table can be found in Annex G
  • The following attestation must be added to the additional certification section of certificate CFIA 1454 if applicable.
  • "Pathogen reduction treatments (PRTs) may only be used on raw meat that has not been salted, marinated, preserved, or undergone any other form of processing. The establishment may use only Singapore Food Agency (SFA)-approved PRTs up to their maximum use levels. PRTs are used in addition to proper hygiene practices and not used to make contaminated meat fit for human consumption."

3.2 Production controls – Traceability of eligible products

Operators must develop, implement and maintain effective and verifiable control programs for ensuring compliance with all applicable requirements.

Where eligible and ineligible products are manufactured at the establishment, the control programs must ensure that ineligible products can be distinguished from those that are eligible in all stages of products handling (through receiving, processing, and shipping/distribution).

The control programs must include monitoring, verification and deviation procedures.

The controls implemented by the operator to comply with applicable requirements must be reviewed and found satisfactory by the responsible Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA) inspector.

The inspector will verify compliance through usual inspection activities.

3.3 Inspection requirements

Stand-alone cutting-boning, further processing and storage establishments, which are not normally supervised by an official veterinarian in Canada, must be visited periodically by an official veterinarian to satisfy the veterinary supervision requirements appearing on the certificates (Annex A, B, D and F).

The frequency of the visits to such establishments by a veterinarian should be based on the complexity of operations conducted at the establishment and the compliance record of the establishment.

4. Labelling packaging and marking requirements

4.1 Moisture-infused pork (MIP)

the product must be pre-packed and properly labelled as "moisture-infused pork" both on the outer carton and individual retail packs

4.2 Chilled pork

Please refer to point 3.1.3 above.

5. Documentation

The certification must be provided in English. As necessary, a French version is provided for information only.

Below are the additional veterinary certificates that must be issued along with form CFIA-ACIA 1454.

5.1 For pork products

Annex A: Veterinary certificate for pork products destined to Singapore.

Note: for Moisture infused pork (MIP), the Veterinary health certificate must indicate that the product is "Moisture-Infused Pork".

5.2 For poultry meat products

Annex B: Veterinary certificate for poultry meat products destined for Singapore.

5.3 For products containing less than 5% meat products (pork, poultry, mutton)

Annex C: Veterinary certificate for meat products derived from pork, poultry or mutton containing less than 5% meat destined to Singapore.

5.4 For canned meat products (pork and poultry)

Annex D: Veterinary certificate for canned and canned meat products destined to Singapore.

5.5 For beef products

Annex F: Veterinary certificate for fresh meat and meat products derived from cattle destined to Singapore.

5.6 For prepared meat products

Containing beef and/or pork and/or poultry meat products the relevant certificate for the meat product contained in the finished product that is, Annex A, B and/or F.

Note: as part of their import control program, Singapore tests imported ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products for contamination with Listeria monocytogenes.

When a non-compliance is found, the importation of such product from the producing establishment is suspended until Singapore is satisfied that appropriate measures have been taken.

The suspension applies only to ready-to-eat (RTE) meat products. In order to avoid the suspension of an establishment for non-RTE prepared meat products, it is required that the words "Ready-to-eat" or "Not ready-to-eat" as appropriate, be written immediately after the product description of prepared meat products appearing on the export certificates.

5.7 For certifying compliance of a product with the requirements of a third country

To certify compliance with specific India's requirements for pork meat products - Annex N: Certification for pork in relation to India's requirements.

Note: Annex N is not a Singaporean import requirement. It should however be issued at the request of the commercial parties, in addition to Annex A above, provided the applicable requirements of India are met.

6. Other information

• Detailed information on Singapore import requirements is available on the website of the Singapore Food Agency (SFA)
• Importers must obtain a permit from the Singapore Food Agency for the importation of meat products into Singapore
• Meat products are subject to microbiological testing upon arrival in Singapore, available information is provided in Annex M
• Singapore has specific labelling requirements
  • These can be obtained from the Singapore Food Agency (SFA)
  • It is the responsibility of the commercial parties to ensure that these requirements are met
• As indicated in point 3.1.2 above, specific requirements apply to chilled pork
  • 1 of these requirements is that the animals from which the chilled pork is derived must not been treated with nitrofurans and porcine somatotropin
  • The latter requirement is fulfilled on the basis of assurances provided by the CFIA that these substances are not allowed for veterinary treatment of food animals in Canada
• Singapore has adopted Codex Alimentarius Maximum Residue Limits (MRLs) for the presence of ractopamine in beef and pork
  • these limits are applicable to frozen, chilled and processed products
  • it must also be noted that the presence of other beta-agonists, including Zilpaterol, in meat products is not allowed
• Transshipments of meat products
• Canadian meat shipments exported through a port in a country from which Singapore doesn't import meat or meat product (for example: transshipment through Hong Kong) shall:
  • be in a refrigerated container sealed under the authority of an inspector
  • be sealed with an official seal, serially numbered, and the seal number shall be recorded on form CFIA/ACIA 1454
  • have the seal intact on arrival in Singapore; failing that, the shipment will not be accepted
  • the temperature record charts for the time period of shipment of the refrigerated container to Singapore shall be produced for examination; and
  • the container must not remain in the transshipment port for more than 14 days