Food & agriculture

• SFA monitors global food safety incidents daily and assesses risk profiles of affected products and sources.
• Based on risk, SFA may recall, test, or inspect similar imports to protect Singapore consumers.

• Work permits remain barred from hawker centres to preserve local hawker identity.
• Stallholders can hire LTVP/LTVP+ holders; about 300 work as assistants currently.
• Policy may be reviewed to balance manpower needs and heritage.

• Minister says impact on food resilience is limited after FairPrice delisted some local vegetable farms.
• SFA is helping affected farms access wider buyers, including online platforms and industry networks.
• Efforts include SG Fresh Produce logos, Farm-to-Table Recognition, and urging consumer support for local produce.

• MP sought extra grants for Town Councils managing hawker centres like Whampoa.
• Minister refused, citing no plans to change funding arrangements.
• Cleanliness is shared responsibility; NEA will keep monitoring with stakeholders.

• Land use changes optimise scarce land: co-locate food/non-food farms north, consolidate MINDEF training land south.
• Relocation timelines follow existing tenancy expiries, not early termination, with early notice provided.

• About two-thirds of cooked food stallholders have purchased insurance coverage.
• NEA does not require insurance; some operator-managed centres may mandate it.
• NEA is reviewing whether to make insurance compulsory for all stallholders.

• No plans to designate tourist-heavy hawker centres as national ones.
• Hawker centres serve as community dining rooms for affordable food.
• Existing management and funding arrangements remain unchanged.

• SFA regularly reviews imported food testing, aligning thresholds with Codex standards where possible.
• On overseas alerts, SFA may enhance testing, recall products, and notify the public.

• No fixed definition; commercial considerations drive companies' decisions on keeping food manufacturing local.
• Government assesses investments for incentives like grants, supporting R&D, innovation, test-bedding, and commercialization.
• To anchor capabilities, strengthen regional connectivity, food safety trust, and sector-specific industry resources.

• Government provides funding, technology, and infrastructure to help traditional sea-based farms boost resilience and productivity.
• Support includes biosecurity, disease management, water quality warnings, and high-quality fingerlings from national hatcheries.
• SFA also aggregates supply and demand to secure long-term contracts between farmers and buyers.

• No significant impact yet, but prolonged disruption could reduce global yields and feed supply.
• Government diversifies food sources, supports local farms, and stands ready with stockpiles.
• Higher energy, shipping, and fertiliser costs will cause food inflation; support measures announced.

• SFA tests imported infant milk powder monthly for contaminants, but cereulide was not routinely tested until 2026 recalls.
• Agency uses science-based risk management and will adjust testing strategies to ensure infant product safety.

• SFA aids local farms in accessing export markets to boost commercial viability, while maintaining domestic supply for food resilience.
• SFA collaborates with agencies and partners on new protocols, like a 2024 deal with China, and provides export information and financial assistance for farms.

• Cai Yinzhou questioned if productivity gains are from genuine improvements or farm exits, given declining production and farm closures, and asked for 2025 closure numbers and median productivity data; Grace Fu confirmed gains reflect both factors, with 2025 data to be released later.

Cai Yinzhou questioned why graduates from aquaculture programs aren't tracked into sea-based farming and proposed a mechanism like those in healthcare and teaching. Grace Fu responded that SFA focuses on farm productivity, not graduate tracking, but collaborates with IHLs on curricula and projects manpower needs based on industry developments.

Chua Kheng Wee Louis asked if the Ministry of Sustainability and the Environment would disclose the criteria and weightages used by the National Environment Agency (NEA) for evaluating tender bids for Socially-conscious Enterprise Hawker Centre (SEHC) operators. Grace Fu Hai Yien responded that the NEA publishes these evaluation criteria and weightages in the tender documents available on the Government Electronic Business portal.