Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore - Mission

Mission

To ensure a resilient supply of safe food, safeguard the health of animals and plants and facilitate agri-trade for Singapore.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority of Singapore (AVA) is the national authority on food safety for both primary and processed food. AVA ensures the safety of all food from production to just before retail. AVA adopts a science-based risk analysis and management approach based on international standards to evaluate and ensure food safety.

The vital components of AVA's comprehensive and integrated food safety system includes:

1. Review of production systems and practices at source
2. Risk assessment and the setting of food safety and food labelling standards
3. Tagging of consignments of primary produce to trace sources, and food labelling to facilitate recall
4. Inspection of primary produce and processed food at the points of entry into Singapore
5. Pre and post-slaughter inspections at local abattoirs
6. Inspection and accreditation of source farms, abattoirs, food-processing factories, both local and overseas
7. Monitoring and surveillance programmes for a wide range of food-borne hazards in primary and processed food
8. State-of-the-art laboratory testing capabilities for detecting and analysing a wide range of pathogens and chemical contaminants in livestock, frozen and chilled meat, live and chilled fish, vegetables, fruits, eggs and processed food
9. Promoting the adoption of good agricultural and manufacturing practices, and food safety assurance systems by the food industry
10. Close rapport with other national authorities
11. Close monitoring of world situation for new developments in food safety and potential threats

This food safety system is backed up by enforcement of food safety standards through a well-established legal framework as well as through food safety public education on the collective responsibility of AVA, the food industry and the public in ensuring food safety.