Singapore to set up forensic unit to study food contamination

May Wong, Channel NewsAsia 1 Oct 08;

SINGAPORE: The government has assured Singaporeans that all food products here are safe for consumption, but it plans to set up a forensic unit to study possible sources of food contamination in the future.

National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan told reporters this after visiting a public health lab on Wednesday.

Channel NewsAsia understands that the forensic unit, under the Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA), will likely be operational in one month. This comes on the back of the melamine scare, originating from China.

No one in Singapore has fallen ill from eating melamine-tainted products. But in China, four children have died and over 50,000 infants are sick from drinking melamine-laced infant formula.

Laboratory staff in Singapore have been working tirelessly since mid-September, testing about 100 samples every day. Mr Mah said Singapore has a very tight food security and safety system, but there is no guarantee that such a contamination will not happen again.

He said: "What we need to do is to strengthen our vigilance system. Meaning, not just depend on what we read but also perhaps our intelligence on the ground, with our overseas partners, and to strengthen our information gathering so that the chances of such things happening can be reduced. In other words, we keep our eyes and ears on the ground more."

Mr Mah added that it is impossible to test every single food product that comes into Singapore as this would require many more laboratories and manpower, which could eventually drive up food prices.

Presently, Singapore already conducts tests on more food samples compared to other countries.

Mr Mah said AVA has also spoken to 160 importers and manufacturers to withdraw their advertisements in the newspapers stating that their products do not contain milk ingredients from China and are safe for consumption as that has not been fully verified, and such advertisements confuse Singaporeans.

To date, Singapore has identified ten products which contain melamine that is used to make plastics. But the minister called on Singaporeans not to over-react.

"Being vigilant does not mean we go into a panic, so let's just stay calm. In a few months' time, hopefully we'll be able to complete the testing and sampling of all the various products and with discussion with our overseas partners, and also with the Chinese food authorities, we should be able to manage the situation," said Mr Mah.

So far, the authorities have tested 600 out of 1,000 products. Aside from milk and dairy items from China, they are also testing products from other countries like the US and even Singapore-made ones to give the public greater assurance that the food products sold here are safe for consumption.- CNA/so

Staying one step ahead in food safety
AVA to set up unit just to watch out for unusual contaminants
Jessica Lim, Straits Times 2 Oct 08;

YOU have heard the phrase, from farm or factory to fork. Now add a fourth F in between - forensics - to keep watch on potential contaminants which could make Singapore's food unsafe.

The Agri-Food and Veterinary Authority (AVA) is hoping a new unit, which will be set up after the current crisis blows over, will give an added layer of protection for food here.

Its role will be to test for potential non-conventional food contaminants and gather intelligence on the ground to safeguard against future food scares.

The idea was mooted by National Development Minister Mah Bow Tan during a visit to the AVA lab in Lim Chu Kang yesterday, which is now a test site for melamine in food.

The food authority has agreed to look into the suggestion once the tainted-milk scandal blows over. In the latest scare from China, melamine added to milk and milk products killed four infants in the country and sickened thousands.

Tainted products were also exported to other countries. In Singapore, such items were pulled from shelves, and some 600 of a list of more than 1,000 products have been tested. The AVA found melamine in 10, all of which were from China.

So far, it has not found any contamination in products made elsewhere, said the AVA. It will need two weeks to a month to test all the samples.

While the forensics unit will help in detecting and perhaps averting some contamination cases, testing every single food item would be impractical, said Mr Mah. There was also no guarantee that food scares would not happen again.

Singapore already errs on the side of caution by sampling 'lots more than other countries', he added.

Here, the most likely food contaminants - like salmonella and E. coli toxins - are tested for. Over 350 new chemicals enter the market each year.

AVA chief executive Chua Sin Bin said: 'We import most of our food so this unit will be useful because official information sometimes comes more slowly. It will be put together once things are settled.'

The unit would gather a group of scientists to put their ears to the ground and gather information from traders, importers, consumers and counterparts in other countries. The aim is to get industry information, for example, on which manufacturers and importers are dependable.

Dr Chua added that the unit would likely test food products regularly for melamine as well from now on.

Experts like food science and technology lecturer Dr Leong Lai Peng from the National University of Singapore think such a unit could work. 'It might be looking for a needle in a haystack if there are no leads, but if the intelligence gathered points to specific products it will work. Also, more comprehensive tests will mean that there will be a higher chance of detecting contaminants.'

Meanwhile, the suspension on import and sales of milk products from China will hold until further checks and discussions with Chinese parties, said Mr Mah.

The AVA held a dialogue session with 160 traders and manufacturers two days ago to give them an update on the situation and gather feedback.

Manufacturers of dairy products have also been advised not to place advertisements claiming that their China-made products are safe. Both Nestle and Unilever were told to stop such placements.

Mr Mah said: 'If they want to do that, they have to satisfy AVA first of all that their products are clean and there is no contamination and no ingredients that are made from suspected sources.

'At this point in time, there is no way for us to support their claim. If they go around telling people that it is safe, there is going to be a lot of confusion.'