Mr Chandra Das, Chairman NTUC FairPrice,

Ladies and gentlemen,

I am happy to be here to officiate the opening of one of Singapore’s biggest fresh food distribution centres. This Fresh Food Distribution Centre is a testimony to FairPrice’s commitment towards providing high quality food to its customers.

Singapore imports most of our food globally. While this makes us susceptible to global hazards, our consumers have nonetheless enjoyed a high standard of food safety.

The Government is committed towards ensuring that the food we eat here is fresh, safe and wholesome. Although there has been no major outbreak of food-related diseases in Singapore in recent years, we cannot be complacent. We have read about the mad-cow disease in Europe, contaminated eggs (Salmonella Enteritidis) in the UK and E.coli O157 in US beef. Some of you may recall that Singapore had to take certain imported food products off the shelf because of dioxin contaminated food products from Europe. Singapore was also affected when pigs in Malaysia were afflicted with the Nipah virus. That Nipah outbreak had caused a disruption in our fresh pork supply, and Singapore has to switch to other sources of supply for chilled and frozen pork. Another disease commonly reported is the Avian Flu in chickens which hit Hong Kong several times, and forced them to destroy the poultry population there.

It is for this reason that the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has placed great emphasis on food safety. AVA will regularly review our food safety net which comprises accreditation at source, product inspections and laboratory testing.

The merger of the Ministry of Environment’s Food Control Department with AVA allows a more streamlined food safety programme for both processed foods and fresh produce supplied to Singapore. In essence, AVA adopts a farm–to-fork approach in ensuring our food safety.

However, a chain is only as strong as its weakest link. Everyone needs to play his or her part in ensuring that the freshness, quality and safety of food are effectively maintained from farm to fork. Producing and importing food that meet international safety standards will help to ensure that food for consumption is safe. For temperature-sensitive food products, an integrated cold chain system for storage, distribution, transport and retail at the appropriate temperature will maintain the freshness of food products delivered to the consumers.

However, the chain does not end here. It is not enough for regulator and food operators to do their part in ensuring food safety. Food quality can still deteriorate if individual consumers do not handle them properly.

To heighten public awareness that food safety is a shared responsibility, the AVA embarked on a Food Safety Awareness Programme targeting the consumers.

I would like to urge all parties to take a concerted view in raising the level of food safety consciousness in Singapore, by equipping our consumers with the knowledge to safeguard themselves when selecting and handling their food. This is particularly so when we rely more and more on a wide variety of processed and packaged foods, which are conveniently available at retail food establishments.

AVA will continue to work with food safety authorities and food industries, both local and foreign, to ensure that only food that pass our safety standards are allowed in Singapore. Our importers and food manufacturers should support the high standards set by AVA, which are commensurate with international standards, by importing their products from sources that embrace proper food safety measures in their operations. Our consumers must learn to make informed choices and demand food only from safe sources. They would otherwise put themselves at risks of food poisoning if they import and consume food from sources without food safety measures in place.

Food establishments are also encouraged to set up their own food safety assurance programmes in their operations. One such programme, is the Hazard Analysis Critical Control Points, or HACCP. It is a systematic way of identifying, monitoring, detecting and correcting any problems at any stage of the food operations. This gives consumers a high assurance of the safety of the food produced.

I am pleased to learn that FairPrice has implemented HACCP at 17 of its outlets since 2001, and intends to get HACCP certification for its remaining outlets within the next two years. I hope their strong commitment to maintain high food safety standards will inspire other supermarket operators to also embark on the HACCP programme.

The construction of this new Distribution Centre, coupled with FairPrice’s stringent checks and good cold chain practices for the delivery of its chilled and frozen products, will ultimately benefit the consumer in terms of enhanced product safety and quality.

On this note, I would like to congratulate FairPrice on the successful opening of the Fresh Food Distribution Centre.

Thank you.

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