Singapore legislation

Schedule 11

of Food Regulations

Schedule 11

Microbiological standards for food

ELEVENTH SCHEDULERegulation 35Microbiological standards for food[S 608/2023 wef 04/03/2024]MICROBIOLOGICAL STANDARDS FORREADY-TO-EAT FOODPart 1ENTEROBACTERIACEAE AND ESCHERICHIA COLI1. 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 2PATHOGENS1. 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:PathogenColony forming units per gram (for solid food) or millilitre (for liquid food)Bacillus cereus200Clostridium perfringens100Coagulase-positive Staphylococcus aureus1002. 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 FOODPart 3NON-READY-TO-EAT FOOD1. 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 columnSecond columnThird columnFourth columnFifth columnPathogenNumber of samplesc numberm limit M limit1.Escherichia coli O157:H75 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 g2.Non-O157 Shiga-toxin producing Escherichia coli (O26, O45, O103, O111, O121, O145)5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 gTable 2 — Blood-cockles and OystersFirst columnSecond columnThird columnFourth columnFifth columnPathogenNumber of samplesc numberm limit M limit1.Salmonella spp.5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 g2.Shigella spp.5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 g3.Vibrio cholerae5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 g4.Vibrio parahaemolyticus5 (except for a small consignment, one)2 (except for a small consignment, 0)100 colony forming units in one g1000 colony forming units in one g5.Vibrio vulnificus5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 gTable 3 — Meat and Meat ProductsFirst columnSecond columnThird columnFourth columnFifth columnPathogenNumber of samplesc numberm limit M limit1.Salmonella Enteritidis5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 g2.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 gNot detected in 25 g 3.Salmonella Typhi5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 g4.Salmonella Paratyphi A5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 g5.Salmonella Paratyphi B5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 gTable 4 — Pasteurised Poultry Shell Eggs and other Pasteurised Egg ProductsFirst columnSecond columnThird columnFourth columnFifth columnPathogenNumber of samplesc numberm limit M limit1.Listeria monocytogenes (for any pasteurised liquid egg product)5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 g2.Salmonella spp.5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 gTable 5 — Raw Poultry Shell Eggs and other Raw Egg ProductsFirst columnSecond columnThird columnFourth columnFifth columnPathogenNumber of samplesc numberm limit M limit1.Salmonella Enteritidis5 (except for a small consignment, one)0Not detected in 25 gNot detected in 25 g[S 608/2023 wef 04/03/2024]