2002/03 Annual report - Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore

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From 1 July 2002, AVA took over the prosecution of FCD cases, such as importing of food without registering, selling food with improper or misleading labels, and selling food with prohibited substances. A total of 383 cases were prosecuted in Court from 1 July 2002 to 31 March 2003. Processed food that does not meet the standards of Food Regulations is not allowed for sale in Singapore. In FY02/03, a total of 489 summon actions were taken against processed food importers and manufacturers for various infringements of the regulations. Continuous Vigilance Against Emerging Threats and Issues Maintaining Worldwide Surveillance for Food Issues and Threats AVA monitors the world food health situation daily for any food issues or potential food threats. We keep a close eye on updates on animal and plant health, zoonotic diseases and food safety standards of developed countries. An example of intensified vigilance was the increased surveillance of meat and fish products produced from China since February 2002. This followed European Union’s official ban on imports of China meat products due to the country’s widespread use of beta-agonist and chloramphenicol in their livestock and the use of formaldehyde and pesticide in some dried fishery products. AVA also intensified sampling of all seafood imported from Chile, to test for shellfish toxins, namely Amnesic Shellfish Poison, Paralytic Shellfish Poison and Diarrhetic Shellfish Poison following reports of an extension of the red tide outbreak in Southern Chile. Media reports provide valuable information for action. For instance, responding to media reports of abuse of antibiotics such as nitrofuran and choramphenicol in fish products from South-east Asian countries such as Myanmar, Vietnam and Indonesia, AVA intensified surveillance of seafood for such antibiotic abuse. The AVA regulates the safety of all food from production right up to just before retail. Also in July 2002, AVA was prompted to sample chicken parts from Thailand, Brazil and Holland following a media report that pork and beef powders were being added to chicken parts in Holland to increase the absorption of water and therefore the weight of the chicken parts. No such cases were detected. Managing Food Risks Through Industry Collaboration and Education Consultations and Dialogues with Industry During the year, numerous dialogue sessions were held with industry representatives to address their concerns and queries as well as enlist their cooperation in AVA’s quest towards higher food safety standards. AVA met up with companies to discuss a range of issues from the import of GM seeds, the feasibility of importing and reexporting airline meals from Australia to the restrictions on the transhipment of certain food products. Eleven dialogue sessions were held from 7–30 October between the licensees of food establishments and AVA. Conducted in Mandarin, the sessions updated the licensees on the change in licensing authority, various food control and food safety issues, as well as gathered feedback from the participants on how AVA could better serve their needs. Prior to the registration exercise for importers of processed food from 15 November 2002, AVA also held four dialogue sessions to brief participants on the new import requirements and garner feedback. AVA held separate dialogue sessions in February and March 2003 to brief importers of coconut milk, grated coconut, desiccated/shelled coconut and infant formulae on various issues, such as the online processing of import permits, usage of refrigerated vehicles for transportation of products, and packaging and labelling requirements. To facilitate trade activities, AVA and JTC Corporation worked together to discuss the conversion of non-food factory blocks at Woodlands Spectrum into food factories in order to cater for the high demand of food factories in the market. AVA also discussed with Housing and Development Board (HDB) the types of trading activities allowable at EASTLink – a light and clean industrial block at Bedok. The activities are aimed at facilitating HDB’s future allocation of its industrial premises at designated wings. Workshops and Training Courses To upgrade the food safety and hygiene standards of the members of the food industry, AVA regularly conducts courses, seminars and workshops. In June 2002, AVA co-hosted a two-day HACCP workshop with the Australian Pork Limited. The aim of the workshop was to facilitate the development and implementation of HACCP-based food safety system by the AVA-licensed deboning establishments involved in supplying Australian chilled pork (AIRPORK) to the retail markets in Singapore. Two courses on “Food Hygiene, Quality and Safety” for supervisors and managers of food factories, jointly organised by Regular checks are conducted to ensure strict adherence to food labelling standards to protect consumer interests. Page 28 Page 29
Singapore Food Manufacturers’ Association and AVA, was held in August 2002 to upgrade the skills and knowledge of participants in the area of food hygiene. Workshops such as “Enhancing the Profile and Role of Factory Hygiene Officers” were held for factory licensees and hygiene officers in FY02/03. In addition several in-factory talks were held for food handlers on topics such as food safety, pest control, food and personal hygiene and good housekeeping. Veterinary Public Health Laboratory : Performance Output, FY02/03 Performance Indicators Function Health Quality Tests Import Control Service & R & D and QA Total Certification Surveillance No. of Samples Tested 4,509 1,933 27,835 13,431 13,925 61,633 No. of Laboratory Tests Performed 42,393 24,981 808,245 68,902 33,336 977,857 Ongoing Surveillance of Products Primary Produce/Product Food Safety Hazards Food Labelling, Classification and Advertising With the extensive range of food products available at local markets, it is imperative that advertisements and labelling for these products do not make misleading or incorrect claims, which may jeopardise the interest or safety of consumers. AVA keeps a check on such activities and provides consultation services to food traders and consumers on food and drug classification, food labelling, advertisements, and other aspects of the Meat/Meat Products Heavy metals, preservatives, additives, poly-chlorinated biphenyls, radioactivity, tylosin, beta-agonist, nitrofuran, chloramphenicol, Staphylococcal enterotoxins, E. coli O157:H7, Salmonella, Listeria monocytogenes, vacomycin resistant Enterococci, Campylobacter, parasites Seafood/Seafood Products Heavy metals, preservatives, additives, formaldehyde, cyanide, radioactivity, nitrofuran, chloramphenicol, marine toxins, Salmonella, vibrio, parasites Fruits & Vegetables Sulphur dioxide, pesticide residues, E. coli O157:H7 Processed Food Micro-organisms, synthetic organic colours, chemical preservatives, artificial sweetening agents, mycotoxins, heavy metals, migration of metals, antioxidants, 3-monochloro-propane-1,2-diol, polychlorinated biphenyls, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons, formaldehyde, residual chemicals in food-contact articles, migration of chemicals from food-contact articles, ethyl carbamate, N-nitrosamines, mineral hydrocarbons, bromate, bromide, pesticide residues, chloramphenicol, acrylamide, radionuclide contaminants, trihalomethanes food laws. In FY02/03, AVA provided almost 10,000 consultation sessions to food traders and consumers. Review by International Advisory Committee The inaugural meeting of AVA’s International Advisory Committee of Experts (IAC) was held from 9–13 July 2002. Besides being briefed on Singapore’s integrated food safety programmes, the IAC members visited the processing plants, retail outlets, an abattoir and the VPHL to assist them in the review of AVA’s food safety and biosecurity programmes. New Test Capabilities 1 Detection of Bacillus anthracis in food products 2 Detection of Hepatitis A virus by Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) methodology 3 Detection for Enterobacter sakazakii in infant milk powder 4 Direct enumeration of E. coli in food 5 Multi-residue methods/special methods in Pesticide Residue Testing: –N-methyl carbamates in spiced meat –N-methyl carbamates in water – Pyrethroids in spiced meat – Pyrethroids in spices – OCs in Chinese tea leaves – Benomyl in vegetables –Fipronil in vegetables –Imidacloprid in vegetables 6 A varian Gas Chromatography (GC) with Pulse Flame Photometric Detector (PFPD) lower detection limit of pesticide by at least 10 times compared to conventional Flame Photometric Detector (FPD) 7 PCR multiplexing detection of pork and beef in chicken samples The IAC concluded that AVA’s food safety policy and programmes are sound and that the standard of food safety in Singapore was on par or ahead of most developed countries. Since Singapore imports most of its food, the IAC noted that Singapore is vulnerable to foodborne diseases and urged AVA to continue maintaining a high degree of vigilance against potential threats to food safety. The IAC members shared their views on “Current trends in food safety and their implications to Singapore” at a public forum organised by AVA on 13 July 2002. The public forum was well received with about 600 people attending it. 8 Authenticity check of bear gall bladder and bile by Thin Layer Chromatography, High Performance Liquid Chromatography and PCR methods 9 Method for detection of propionic acid in fish 10 Detection of polychlorinated biphenyls in muscle using Accelerated Solvent Extraction 11 Acrylamide in food stuffs by Liquid Chromatography (LC)/ Mass Spectrometry (MS)/MS 12 Gentamycin, neomycin and Kanamycin in tissues by LC/MS/MS 13 Sulpha drugs in milk by LC/MS/MS 14 Fluoroquinlones in tissues by LC/MS/MS 15 Detection of ochratoxin A in beer and cereal 16 Detection of patulin in apple juice 17 Screening of chloramphenicol in tissues using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit Page 30 Page 31
Page 1 and 2: The Look of Life\ Agri-Food & Veter
Page 3 and 4: The contrast of textures
Page 5 and 6: Board of Directors Mr Koh Poh Tiong
Page 7 and 8: The spontaneity of expression
Page 9 and 10: AVA placed several advertorials in
Page 11 and 12: Enhancing the Safety of Our Food No
Page 13 and 14: A total of 177,427 import permits w
Page 15: These surveillance programmes enabl
Page 19 and 20: To ensure that the introduction and
Page 21 and 22: Animal Control Measures Stray anima
Page 23 and 24: The inevitable result of urbanisati
Page 25 and 26: Forging Global Ties and Facilitatin
Page 27 and 28: As the national authority for agric
Page 29 and 30: Synergising Staff and Resources An
Page 31 and 32: which was attended by 22 badminton
Page 33 and 34: AVA Service Centres AVA Service Cen
Page 35 and 36: Food Supply and Technology Agri-Tra
Page 37 and 38: Consumption, Import and Local Farm
Page 39 and 40: Three-Year Financial Summary FY 02/
Page 41 and 42: Financial Position As at 31 March 2
Page 43 and 44: Capital Expenditure Capital expendi
Page 45 and 46: Statement of Changes in Fund and Gr
Page 47 and 48: Notes to the Financial Statements F
Page 49 and 50: Notes to the Financial Statements F

2002/03 Annual report - Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority of Singapore

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