Question

Ms Sylvia Lim: To ask the Minister for Trade and Industry whether the Government intends to enable food catering businesses to resume catering for events with appropriate COVID-19 safeguards in place and, if so, when.

Written Answer by Minister for Trade and Industry Mr Gan Kim Yong

1. Food catering businesses are allowed to cater individually packed food for events and delivery. However, self-service food lines have not been allowed to resume. This is because the risks of COVID-19 transmission for food lines where diners serve themselves is high, and can take place through the contamination of exposed foods and the common use of serving utensils.

2. Nevertheless, we recognise that in some settings, the food line format may be preferable to other forms of catering such as table service. The Government, in consultation with the Association of Catering Professionals Singapore (ACAPS), thus developed a set of safe management measures under which staff-served food lines have been allowed to resume at F&B premises and events. This form of catering is less risky than self-service food lines and allows catering companies to resume catering in a form that is closer to their traditional business format. We are continually reviewing our safe management measures and will review the resumption of self-service food lines at a suitable time, with the necessary safeguards in place, as we transition towards living with COVID-19.