Novel Food Pre-market Approval

Singapore requires pre-market approval before novel food may lawfully be supplied, manufactured for supply, imported, distributed or sold in Singapore. The Singapore Food Agency (SFA) framework is intended to protect consumers while allowing food innovation, and applies to people or organisations seeking to farm, manufacture, distribute or sell a novel food (SFA, pre-market approval framework, accessed 30 August 2026). Approval is product- and case-specific; it is not a blanket licence for a company or for every product made with a similar technology.

What counts as novel food

Under SFA's current framework, novel food can include a substance derived from cell or tissue culture of animals, plants or microorganisms that has not been used to a significant degree as food for at least 20 years, whether inside or outside Singapore. It can also include food made by a production process not previously used in food production for at least 20 years, food of certain mineral origins without that history, or food containing engineered nanomaterials (SFA, framework overview, accessed 30 August 2026). The 20-year criterion is part of the definition; it does not mean that every food using a new brand, recipe or ordinary processing step automatically becomes novel food.

Safety assessment and application

Applicants must submit scientific evidence showing that the novel food does not pose a risk to human health and must identify and manage relevant risks. SFA's application guidance expects consideration of toxicity, allergenicity, production-method safety and dietary exposure, alongside information on the product, inputs, manufacturing process and risk-management measures (SFA, application guidelines, accessed 30 August 2026). Products derived from precision or biomass fermentation, and cultivated meat or seafood, also require the applicable self-assessment checklist and its acknowledgement to be attached to the application.

Fee and evaluation timing

SFA's current application guidance states an application fee of S$1,750 for each novel-food pre-market approval application. It estimates that evaluation takes 9–12 months after SFA acknowledges payment of the application fee; the timeline can pause if SFA requests more information (SFA, application guidelines, accessed 30 August 2026). The fee and period are published process information, not a promise that an application will be approved within 9–12 months or that the fee is the total cost of preparing scientific evidence.

Approval, changes and approved-food list

An approved novel food is recorded on SFA's list of approved novel foods, which provides decision date and technical information such as production strain, inputs, manufacturing process, risk-management measures and specifications. Approval is not perpetual: SFA may cancel it for fraud or misrepresentation, non-compliance with conditions, material changes to manufacturing or other application information, or where Singapore's public interest requires cancellation (SFA, framework overview, accessed 30 August 2026). An applicant must seek approval again when a manufacturing-process change could affect the validity of the original safety assessment. The current list is therefore an operational record, not an endorsement of all future versions of a product.

Statutory boundary and regulatory advice

The Food Safety and Security Act and its 2025 authorisation regulations provide the statutory framework for novel-food and genetically modified-food pre-market approval, including application information and fees (SFA, Food Safety and Security Act, accessed 30 August 2026). A company unsure whether a product is novel food should consult SFA and the detailed guidance; the framework should not be used as a substitute for a product-specific regulatory determination. SFA also established a Novel Food Safety Expert Working Group to provide scientific advice during rigorous review.