eCommerce
Singapore introduces voluntary food safety standards in e-commerce for the first time in the world
The Grocery E-Commerce Guidelines were developed by a working group composed of a government agency, industry associations and private sector stakeholders.
moving with the times
There has been an uptick in the supply and demand of groceries via e-commerce – as more brick-and-mortar grocery stores went online.
However, different product safety practices have been identified on different e-commerce platforms. The working group saw the need for “a shared understanding of industry best practices for managing online sales of grocery products.”
“The publication and enactment of this standard would raise industry standards and guide food business operators to achieve better transparency, traceability and accountability when selling food online.
“Additionally, consumers would be empowered to make more informed purchasing decisions by purchasing from companies that have implemented these practices and have greater food safety assurances.“Dr. Tan Lee Kim, Director-General, Food Administration and Deputy CEO of the Singapore Food Agency added.
The guidelines also expressed the government’s intention to continue to support businesses in the transition to selling online.
Matt Kovac, CEO of Food Industry Asia (FIA), revealed: “It will provide food business operators with a practical set of voluntary e-commerce guidelines that can be applied to improve current processes to ensure food safety while not stifling innovation.”
What does the policy include
Given the different operating models in the grocery e-commerce space, the guidelines focused on the key stages that could be critical to food safety, namely: food company/vendor onboarding process, at point of e-commerce sale, delivery at the last mile , point of delivery and traceability and product recall.
The document also highlighted that the guidelines for e-food commerce refer to the regulatory framework previously developed for ready-to-eat (RTE) food delivery and e-commerce transactions.
Other regulatory frameworks
“Singapore is the first country to develop such a comprehensive set of voluntary guidelines and as such the standard could be used by other authorities to provide best practice information for industry.‘ Kovac added.
In a similar vein to Singapore, countries such as Canada and the United States are being studied and consulted with stakeholders to develop voluntary guidelines for food sold through e-commerce platforms.
Canada underwent its consultation in May-July 2022, proposed by government agencies Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.
Some of the largest e-commerce markets such as China and India have adopted a regulatory approach to grocery e-commerce, making licensing and regulatory compliance mandatory for food business operators and other key stakeholders in this space.
Since 1StFrom 1 January 2021, China will hold e-commerce operators legally responsible for food safety issues related to products bought on their platforms, alongside food manufacturers and entrepreneurs.
Food e-commerce platforms in particular are required to exercise due diligence on their suppliers when implementing food safety practices, such as when suppliers are suspected of violating consumer rights.
While for India; In September 2017, the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) enforced compliance for all e-commerce food business operators under the Food Safety and Standards (Licensing and Registration of Food Business) Amendment Regulations, 2018.
The last change to the regulation was made in 2021 when licensing standards were re-operationalized.
