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Friend shared with me. Quite fun for those interested. 1544433287345_Car_Prefix.pdf

AVA to be dissolved, new agency SFA to be set up... New Singapore Food Agency to oversee food safety regulations and related matters from next April https://www.todayonline.com/singapore/new-singapore-food-agency-oversee-food-safety-regulations-food-related-matters-april-next

1999 ban on raw pork from Malaysia lifted Raw pork from Malaysia is back in markets here, marking the end of an import ban on the product for more than a decade. The Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) recently approved the import of frozen pork from one slaughterhouse in Sarawak. The first consignment arrived here in February and, as of last month, about 9 tonnes of frozen pork products have been imported from there. The ban on the import of live pigs and raw pork from Malaysian was introduced in 1999, after an outbreak of the Nipah virus. The virus, which is carried by pigs, killed 100 Malaysian pig farmers and an abattoir worker here. A spokesman for AVA said Sarawak's state animal and veterinary public health programmes were assessed, and inspections were conducted at the pig farming area and slaughterhouse to ensure that their bio-security control measures and hygiene standards meet AVA's requirements. "During our inspections, areas of improvement were highlighted, which the slaughterhouse rectified accordingly," she said. A trial sample batch was also tested at AVA's Veterinary Public Health Laboratory and met food-safety requirements. Austria was also approved as a new source of pork last year and, as of last month, about 175 tonnes of frozen pork from Austria have been exported to Singapore. In April last year, Singapore imported its first batch of beef products from Britain since 1996, after AVA lifted its ban on deboned beef from Britain in September 2013. Over the last year, around 2.5 tonnes of chilled or frozen beef products have been imported from 15 slaughterhouses. The ban had been placed on British beef imports due to the threat of mad cow disease. At that point, Singapore was importing about 15 tonnes of beef from Britain, which made up about 0.12 per cent of overall beef imports. AVA has since found the situation in Britain to be "well-controlled" and the threat of the disease "negligible". It added that, as a precaution, it allows the import of only deboned beef from cattle under 30 months of age as they have less nervous tissue, which reduces their risk of contracting the disease. The spokesman said the agency will monitor all consignments and take the necessary action when there are food-safety lapses. It will also continue to diversity its food sources. "By buying from diverse sources, we are better buffered against potential short-term supply disruptions from any one source," she said. [email protected] Buzzing in and around Singapore - See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/news/singapore/1999-ban-raw-pork-malaysia-lifted#sthash.NeZwv7nx.dpuf

I have not even seen the product and tried the food, and it is banned. Who tried before? Nice? Import of instant hotpot products containing meat not approved by AVA; importers fined and products seized http://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/import-of-instant-hotpot-products-not-approved-by-ava-importers-fined-and-products-seized SINGAPORE - The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) has fined importers of the latest food craze here - instant "self-heating" hotpots that contain meat. It has also seized the products, the agency said in a statement to The Straits Times on Monday (Oct 9). "AVA has not approved the import of instant hotpot products containing meat such as Ba Shu Hotpot," the statement added. “As AVA did not approve these products for sale, the ‘AVA certificate’ circulating online is fake.” ST understands that the certificate AVA referred to is a licence issued to a Ba Shu Hotpot supplier to import processed food products and appliances, but with the product’s logo superimposed on it. Food products containing meat can be imported from only approved sources that comply with AVA food-safety standards and requirements, as these products could carry animal and food-borne diseases of public health and trade importance, AVA said. Ba Shu Hotpot is otherwise known as Ba Shu Lan Ren, a Chengdu-based instant hotpot brand that comes in several mala flavours: original, rice and meat, and beef. It is one of several instant hotpot brands being sold online on websites such as Qoo10 and Shopee Singapore, as well as shopping app Carousell. The products come with a heat pack that, when activated by room-temperature water, generates enough heat to steam a small bowl of ingredients for up to 20 minutes. In its statement, AVA advised the public to purchase food from reputable sources, and to exercise discretion when buying food online. Licensed food importers are required to ensure that the food products comply with the AVA's food-safety requirements and standards, regardless of the channel of sale." Ba Shu Lan Ren, which launched its hotpots last December, told The Straits Times in July that it has six main suppliers in Singapore. One supplier is Joneve Trading, which had been importing the hotpots since February. The hotpots proved to be so popular that in May, over 10,000 individual packs were snapped up. The firm's co-founder, Ms Eve Lim, 27, told ST on Monday that she was informed by AVA in early August to stop the import and sale of the hotpots. Ms Lim also said that AVA had issued her a valid licence - a copy of which ST has seen - to import the product. She said: “I thought all was well until they (AVA) visited my warehouse in early August and said they had to approve the meat used by Ba Shu Lan Ren in their products.” Explaining why enforcement action was taken against Joneve Trading, an AVA spokesman told ST that the Cargo Clearance Permit the firm applied for was for food items which do not contain meat and seafood. "In this case, it was a false declaration as the instant hotpot product does contain meat," he said. When contacted on Monday, Carousell said it was working closely with AVA to actively remove listings of instant hotpots with meat from its marketplace. "Where available, we will provide the advisory notice issued by AVA to the sellers when we remove their products," it added. AVA added that it conducts inspections and surveillance, including sampling for testing, on imported food products to ensure they comply with the necessary requirements and standards. Those convicted of importing food from unapproved sources can be fined up to $50,000 and/or jailed for up to two years for the first conviction. In the case of a second or subsequent conviction, they can be fined up to $100,000 and/or jailed for up to three years. http://www.straitstimes.com/lifestyle/food/this-hotpot-cooks-without-electricity-or-hot-water

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hhx3TL4v--c The year of the horse may be round the corner but it is a video of a cow and a calf being ferried on the back of a lorry in Singapore that has caught the attention of netizens. In a video posted on Jan 19 by Facebook user Eunice Lim, the animals were seen transported on a lorry with an open back along an expressway in Singapore. Both the cow and calf did not seem to be secured onto the vehicle. The video has been shared close to 900 times. Viewers who posted comments about the video were concerned if this was legal and questioned what would happen if the animals leapt off the moving vehicle. Others drew parallels to a scene from the movie The Hangover Part III, where one of the movie characters transported a giraffe in the backseat of his convertible. Responding to queries from The Straits Times, the Agri-Food & Veterinary Authority (AVA) of Singapore said while there are no specific regulations governing the transport of cattle, animals should be transported safely and comfortably. "Usually the cattle is secured by a short tether to the vehicle and accompanied by a handler," an AVA spokesman said. The AVA added that it will speak with the farm about this incident and "advise them accordingly". Source: http://www.straitstimes.com/breaking-news/singapore/story/cow-spotted-back-lorry-animals-should-be-secured-accompanied-handler-a

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