Speech by SPS Low Yen Ling at the Launch of Technical Reference 57: Guidelines on food safety and good hygiene practices for vending industry

Mr Tan Kee Yong, Managing Director of AsiaMalls Management Pte Ltd,

Mr Douglas Foo, President of Singapore Manufacturing Federation,

Ms Jocelyn Chng and Mr Christopher Goh, Co-convenors of the Technical Reference 57 Working Group,

Distinguished Guests,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Introduction

Good afternoon. I am happy to join you today at VendFest. VendFest is held in conjunction with AsiaMalls’ Foodie Festival YAS!, as well as the launch of the Food Safety and Good Hygiene Practices Technical Reference for the Vending Industry. Singaporeans are very serious about good food, and I am glad to see these new developments, which add to the vibrancy and high quality of our food scene.

Food vending machines: innovative business format

Singapore’s Food Services sector has made good progress since the Industry Transformation Map (ITM) was launched last September. The ITM aims to implement more innovative and manpower-lean formats, upgrade jobs and raise job satisfaction, while at the same time maintaining the quality and range of our dining options. SPRING Singapore, as the lead agency for the Food Services ITM, has worked with various industry players to do so.

As a result, we have seen a growing number of companies implementing vending machines and selling ready meals. For food companies, vending machines are an important alternative channel to grow their business in today’s tight labour market. Vending machine cafes are currently operating in the heartlands, such as Ang Mo Kio and Sengkang. We know of about 30 companies which are planning to install new machines within the next year. In fact, 9 of those companies are participating in today’s event. Given the potential of food vending machines, I hope to see more companies embracing such resource-efficient formats.

Food vending machines can help to ensure variety and convenience for consumers. Besides common local hawker fare like hor fun and fried rice, the machines are able to dispense a wide range of other food items such as rice dumplings, pizza, and even chilli crab. Furthermore, vending machines are available round-the-clock, serving as a convenient dining alternative 24 by 7.

Launch of TR 57

As with any new food technology, hygiene and safety are very important factors. Since last December, food vending machines which process food or require temperature control must first obtain a licence from the National Environment Agency (NEA). The licence regulates issues relating to the machines’ cleanliness, maintenance, and food hygiene.

Today, I am happy to launch the Technical Reference (TR) 57: Guidelines on Food Safety and Good Hygiene Practices for the Vending Industry to help companies when planning for and operating vending machines to ensure the robustness of their operations.

The standard was developed by the Singapore Manufacturing Federation-Standards Development Organisation and SPRING, in close consultation with a wide range of players from the public and private sector. This included about 20 industry members such as JR Group and Royal Vending. It covers guidelines on issues such as how long the food is kept in the machine, and how the machine is being maintained. I am pleased to hear that both companies are planning to apply this standard. Royal Vending operates over 1,000 vending machines and JR Group has 4 vending machine cafes and over 100 machines in Singapore. It is my hope that more food companies take note of and consider implementing these guidelines, which will benefit consumers like you and me.

Q&S supports the ITMs

TR 57 is just one example of how Quality & Standards (Q&S) supports industry transformation. Q&S has been a key pillar of Singapore’s economic success, and will continue to be important for our future economy as businesses focus on innovation and value creation. For example, standards can help to ease the deployment of new technologies and business platforms. Standards can also promote the commercialisation of new products and services by ensuring that they meet certain levels of performance, quality, safety or interoperability.

Besides Food Services, SPRING also develops sector-specific standards in other industries to facilitate their transformation. For example, in Food Manufacturing, a new standard was launched last month to guide companies in developing products that can meet regulatory requirements on nutritional or food claims. As I speak, more standards are underway for ITMs in the logistics and precision engineering sectors.

Conclusion

I encourage industry associations, government agencies, academics, and businesses to partner SPRING in developing and implementing Q&S to support industry transformation. Together with other initiatives under the ITMs, we can boost the success of Singapore enterprises in the future.

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