SALE OF FOOD BILL

Order for Second Reading read.

3.03 p.m.

The Minister of State for the Environment (Mr Wee Toon Boon): Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move, "That the Bill be now read a Second time."

The Bill before the House is based on the existing Sale of Food and Drugs Act which was enacted in 1955. Major changes are, however, made in the new Bill to meet with changing circumstances and to provide for more effective control over the sale and preparation of food.

The new Bill provides measures to ensure the quality and purity of food. It seeks to prohibit the sale or other disposition or the use of articles dangerous or injurious to health. It also seeks to prevent deception and fraud arising out of the sale of food.

A complementary Bill, to be known as The Food Handlers' Regulations, is being drafted. Its main purpose is to exercise control over all persons involved in the sale or preparation of food.

The Sale of Food Bill and The Food Handlers' Regulations will between them ensure that the required standards of health and hygiene are maintained.

Control over advertisements relating to food and appliances connected with food has been extended to include printed or broadcast advertisements to prevent misleading of the public. There was no such provision in the existing Act, which controlled only labelling statements on packaged food.

The Act also provides control over appliances connected with food. There have been instances in the past in which food appliances of an insanitary or dangerous nature have been sold or used, but as control of such appliances was not covered in the existing Act, the prohibition of their use or sale could not be enforced.

A further inclusion in the new Act provides for the definition of "analysis" of food to include micro-biological assay. The previous definition permitted only chemical analysis. The time limit during which legal proceedings may be instituted in respect of offences has also been extended from the original 28 days to 56 days from the time of purchasing a sample of the article or food or appliance. This is to provide sufficient time for a detailed analysis to be carried out, as the standard of food technology has now advanced to a stage which allows more complex methods of analysis to be performed.

The other provisions are, in the main, similar to those in the existing Act.

Mr Speaker, Sir, I beg to move.

Question proposed.

Dr Tan Eng Liang (River Valley): Mr Speaker, Sir, I would just like to enquire about the appointment of the number of analysts. I was just wondering whether the Ministry concerned has its own facilities to carry out microbiological and chemical analyses. If it has, will it then not be a duplication of facilities in the other Government departments, like the Chemistry Department or the Bacteriology Department?

Mr Wee Toon Boon: Mr Speaker, Sir, in answer to the point raised by the Member for River Valley, of course, all these analyses or tests will be referred to the Chemistry Department or the Bacteriology Department.

Question put, and agreed to.

Bill accordingly read a Second time and committed to a Committee of the whole House.

The House immediately resolved itself into a Committee on the the Bill. - [Mr Wee Toon Boon].

Bill considered in Committee; reported without amendment; read a Third time and passed.