Food (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2002

FOOD (AMENDMENT) (NO. 3) REGULATIONS 2002 PU(A) 131/2002 IN exercise of the powers conferred by section 34 of the Food Act 1983 [Act 281], the Minister makes the following regulations: 1. Citation. These regulations may be cited as the Food (Amendment) (No. 3) Regulations 2002. 2. Amendment of regulation 11. The Food Regulations 1985 [PU(A) 437/85], which are referred to as the "principal Regulations" in these Regulations, are amended in sub-regulation 11(1) (a) in subparagraph (h)(iii), by deleting the word "essential" wherever it appears; and (b) in subparagraph (h)(iv), by deleting the word "essential" wherever it appears. 3. Amendment of regulation 26. Regulation 26 of the principal Regulations is amended (a) in sub-regulation (1), by substituting for the words "essential amino acid or essential fatty acid" the words "amino acid, fatty acid or nucleotide"; (b) in sub-regulation (2), by substituting for the words "essential amino acids and essential fatty acids" the words "amino acids, fatty acids nucleotides"; (c) in sub-regulation (6), by deleting the word "essential" wherever it appears; and (d) in sub-regulation (8), by deleting the word "essential" wherever it appears. 4. New regulation 26A. The principal regulations are amended by inserting after regulation 26 the following regulation: "26A. Bifido bacteria. (1) Bifido bacteria specified in the Twelfth A Schedule may be added to food. (2) The term "contains bifidus" or "with bifidus" may be used on the label of any package of food containing bifido bacteria. (3) Where a claim is made as to the presence of bifido bacteria in food, there shall be written in the label of a package containing such food, a statement setting out the viable bifido bacteria count present in a stated quantity of the food. (4) There shall be written in the label on a package of food containing bifido bacteria the words "CONTAINS VIABLE BACTERIA, REQUIRE SPECIAL STORAGE CONDITION" or "CONTAINS VIABLE BACTERIA, FOLLOW INSTRUCTION FOR STORAGE".". 5. Amendment of regulation 90. Subregulation 90(1) of the principal Regulations is amended by inserting after the words "shall be milk" the words "or recombined milk". 6. Amendment of regulation 134. Subregulation 134(1) of the principal Regulations is amended by inserting after the word "isomalt," the word "maltitol,". 7. Amendment of regulation 147. Subregulation 147(7) of the principal Regulations is amended (a) in subparagraph (e)(ii), by substituting for the full stop a semicolon; and (b) by inserting after subparagraph (e)(ii) the following subparagraph: "(iii) natural lactic acid.". 8. Amendment of regulation 161. Regulation 161 of the principal Regulations is amended by substituting for subregulation (3) the following subregulation: "(3) Canned fish may contain permitted flavour enhancer and permitted food conditioner including calcium disodium ethylenediamine tetra-acetate in a proportion not exceeding 300mg/kg.". 9. Amendment of regulation 168. Paragraph 168(2)(a) of the principal Regulations is mended by substituting for the figure "15" the figure "12". 10. Amendment of regulation 185. Paragraph 185(3)(a) of the principal Regulations is amended by substituting for the figure "0.75" the figure "0.6". 11. New regulation 243A. The principal Regulations are amended by inserting after regulation 243 the following regulation: "243A. Fruit nectar. (1) Fruit nectar shall be the unfermented pulpy or non-pulpy product obtained by blending the fruit juice or total edible part of sound ripe fruits of one or more types, concentrated or unconcentrated, with water and permitted sweetening substance. (2) The minimum content of fruit ingredient in a fruit nectar shall be as follows: (a) 50% of citrus (other than lime and lemon); (b) 40% of apple; (c) 40% of peach; (d) 40% of pear; (e) 35% of apricot; (f) 30% of mango, papaya, passion fruit, pineapple; (g) 25% of guava; (h) 30% of other fruit. (3) Where the fruit nectar consists of a combination of the products of two or more fruits in subregulation (2), the amount of each fruit in the fruit nectar shall be such that, when it is expressed as a percentage of the amount required singly, the total amount of the pecentages is at least 100. (4) The total soluble solid content of fruit nectar shall be not less than 12%. (5) Fruit nectar may contain permitted preservative, permitted flavouring substance, citric acid or malic acid as permitted food conditioner and permitted antioxidant. (6) For the purposes of subregulation (5), the permitted flavouring substance that may be added to fruit nectar shall be natural flavouring substance. (7) Notwithstanding subregulation (6), permitted nature - identical flavouring substance may only be added in mango nectar. (8) There shall be written in the label on a package containing fruit nectar the words "fruit nectar" or the name of such fruit in uniform lettering of not less than 10 point conjoined with the word "nectar" or "mixed fruit nectar" and the names of the type of fruit nectar present in descending order of proportion, as the case may be. (9) There shall be written in the label on a package containing concentrated fruit nectar a statement giving direction for dilution to produce a nectar or approximately the same standard as prescribed for fruit nectar in these Regulations. (10) For the purposes of this regulation, "fruit ingredient" means fruit pulp which is free from seeds and skin.". 12. Amendment of regulation 269. Regulation 269 of the principal Regulations is amended by substituting for subregulation (1) the following subregulation: "(1) Coffee mixture shall be coffee ground with other food substances.". 13. Amendment of regulation 360. Subregulation 360(4) of the principal Regulations is amended by substituting for paragraph (b) the following paragraph: " (b) a pictorial representation or design of a plant or part of a plant or a floral design that suggests or implies the presence of a plant in the syrup or drink.". 14. Amendment of regulation 389. Regulation 389 of the principal Regulations is amended by inserting after subregulation (3B) the following subregulations: "(3C) Infant formula may contain (a) trans fatty acid not exceeding 1% of the total fat content; (b) erucic acid not exceeding 1% of the total fat content; and (c) long-chain (20 and 22 carbon atoms) polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA) not exceeding (i) 1% of the total fat content for n-3 LC-PUFA; and (ii) 2% of the total fat content for n-6 LC-PUFA (1% of the total fat content for arachidonic acid). (3D) The eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) (20:5 n-3) content in paragraph (c) of subregulation (3C) shall not exceed that of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) (22:6 n-3) content.". 15. New regulation 393A. The principal Regulations are amended by inserting after regulation 393 the following regulation: "393A. Special dietary foods with low sodium content including salt substitute. (1) Special dietary foods with low sodium content shall be foods with special dietary value as the result from the reduction, restriction or removal of sodium and include salt substitutes with low sodium content. (2) A special dietary food with "low sodium" content other than salt substitutes shall be food which has been processed without the addition of sodium salts, and the sodium content of which shall be (a) not more than half of that of the normal product consumed; and (b) not more than 120mg/100g of the final product as normally consumed. (3) A special dietary food with "very low sodium" content shall be food which has been processed without the addition of sodium salts, and the sodium content of which shall be (a) not more than half of that of the comparable normal product as consumed; and (b) not more than 40mg/100g of the final product as normally consumed. (4) Salt substitutes shall contain the ingredients specified in column (1) of the Twenty-fourth A Schedule in accordance with the requirements specified in column (2). (5) Salt substitutes may contain: (a) colloidal silica or calcium silicate in not more that 1% w/w of the salt substitute mixture, individually or in combination; or (b) safe and suitable normally consumed foods (including sugar and cereal flour) as diluents. (6) The sodium content of salt substitute shall be not more than 120mg/100g of the salt substitute mixture. (7) The addition of iodine - containing compounds to salt substitutes shall be in accordance with regulation 285 of these Regulations. (8) A special dietary food with low sodium content may contain salt substitutes which complies with subregulations (4) and (5) and the amount shall be limited in accordance with Good Manufacturing Practice. (9) The following details shall be written in the label on a package of low sodium food or very low sodium food excluding salt substitutes: (a) the words "low sodium" or "very low sodium", as the case may be; (b) the sodium content to the nearest multiple of 5mg/100g and, in addition, per as specified serving of the food as normally consumed; (c) the average carbohydrate, protein and fat content in 100g of the product as normally consumed, as well as the kilocalorie or kilojoule value; (d) a statement on the addition of the salt substitutes; (e) when a salt substitute, composed entirely or partially of a potassium salt, has been added, the total amount of potassium salt expressed as mg cation/100g of the food as normally consumed; and (f) direction for storage and information regarding its keeping before and after the package has been opened. (10) The following details shall be written in the label on a package of salt substitutes: (a) the words "low sodium salt substitute" or "low sodium dietetic salt"; (b) the amount of the cations sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, ammonium and choline per 100g w/w contained therein; and (c) the words "take only on medical advice" on the principal display panel.". 16. Amendment of regulation 395. Regulation 395 of the principal Regulations is amended by inserting after subregulation (3) the following subregulation: "(3A) No person shall use permitted preservative in food not elsewhere standardized without the prior approval of the Director.". 17. Amendment of Sixth Schedule. Table I of the Sixth Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended (a) by inserting after the item "Flavoured drink concentrate requiring more than 50 times dilution and the addition of sugar" under the respective columns the following items and particulars: "Fresh uncut fruit (the edible portion) 30 Nil Nil"; (b) by inserting after the item "Fruit juice for direct consumption" under the respective columns the following items and particulars: "Fruit nectar - concentrated 350 800 800 Fruit nectar for direct consumption 140 350 350"; (c) by substituting for the words "Jam, fruit jelly and marmalade" the words "Jam, fruit jelly (including jelly strips in peanut butter) and marmalade"; (d) by substituting for the word "Nil" appearing against the item "Sauce not otherwise specified in this Schedule" the figure "750"; and (e) by substituting for the word "Nil" appearing against the item "Soya sauce, hydrolysed vegetable protein sauce, hydrolysed plant protein sauce, blended hydrolysed vegetable protein sauce, blended hydrolysed plant protein sauce, oyster sauce and fish sauce" the figure "1000". 18. Amendment of Tenth Schedule. The Tenth Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended in Table II by inserting after the item "Edible oil and edible fat and ghee (on fat basis)" against the item "Ascorbic acid" in column (2) the item "Fruit nectar". 19. Amendment of Twelfth Schedule. The Twelfth Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended by substituting for Table I the following Table: " TABLE I The following nutrient supplements are permitted in food: 1. Vitamin and mineral Pantothenic acid Calcium pantothenate D - pantothenic acid D - pantothenyl alcohol Panthenol Iron (III) - Casein Complex Iron (Fe) Carbonyl iron Electrolytic iron Ferric ammonium citrate Ferric caseinate Ferric citrate Ferric gluconate Ferric phosphate Ferric pyrophosphate Ferrous carbonate, stabilized Ferrous citrate Ferrous fumarate Ferrous gluconate Ferrous lactate Ferrous succinate Ferrous sulphate Hydrogen reduced iron Sodium ferric pyrophosphate Biotin (Vitamin H) d-biotin Folate Folacin Folic acid Phosphorus (P) Calcium phosphate, (mono, di and tri basic) Magnesium phosphate (di and tri basic) Potassium phosphate (mono and di basic) Sodium phosphate (di basic) Inositol Iodine (I) Calcium phosphate, (mono, di and tri basic) Magnesium phosphate (di and tri basic) Potassium phosphate (mono and di basic) Sodium phosphate (di basic) Potassium (K) Potassium bicarbonate Potassium carbonate Potassium chloride Potassium citrate Potassium gluconate Potassium glycerophosphate Potassium phosphate (mono and di basic) Calcium (Ca) Calcium carbonate Calcium chloride Calcium citrate Calcium gluconate Calcium glycerophosphate Calcium lactate Calcium oxide Calcium phosphate (mono, di and tri basic) Calcium pyrophosphate Calcium sulphate Chloride (Cl) Calcium chloride Choline chloride Magnesium chloride Manganese chloride Potassium chloride Sodium chloride Sodium chloride, iodized Choline Choline bitartrate Choline chloride Copper (Cu) Copper gluconate Cupric carbonate Cupric citrate Cupric sulphate Magnesium (Mg) Magnesium carbonate Magnesium chloride Magnesium citrate Magnesium oxide Magnesium phosphate (di basic and tri basic) Magnesium sulphate Manganese (Mn) Manganese carbonate Manganese chloride Manganese citrate Manganese sulphate Sodium (Na) Sodium ascorbate Sodium bicarbonate Sodium carbonate Sodium chloride Sodium chloride, iodized Sodium citrate Sodium ferric pyrophosphate Sodium gluconate Sodium iodate Sodium iodide Sodium lactate Sodium pantothenate Sodium phosphate (mono, di and tri basic) Sodium sulphate Sodium tartrate Niacin/ Nicotinic acid Nicotinamide/ Niacinamide Pro vitamin A Beta-carotene Riboflavin (Vitamin B 2) Riboflavin Riboflavin - 5-phosphate Riboflavin 5' - phosphate sodium Selenium Sodium selenate Sodium selenite Milk - Protein Iron Complex (MPIC) Taurine Thiamine (Vitamin B1) Thiamin chloride hydrochloride Thiamin hydrochloride Thiamin mononitrate Vitamin A Retinol (Vitamin A alcohol) Retinyl acetate (Vitamin A acetate) Retinyl palmitate (Vitamin A palmitate) Retinyl propionate Vitamin B6 Pyridoxal Pyridoxamine Pyridoxine Pyridoxine hydrochloride Vitamin B12 Cyanocobalamin Hydroxycobalamin Vitamin C Ascorbic acid Ascorbyl-6-palmitate Calcium ascorbate Sodium ascorbate Vitamin D Cholecalciferol-cholesterol Vitamin D2 (Ergocalciferol) Vitamin D3 (Cholecalciferol) Vitamin E d-alpha-tocopherol dl-alpha-tocopherol d-alpha-tocopherol acetate dl-alpha-tocopherol acetate d-alpha-tocopheryl succinate dl-alpha-tocopheryl succinate Tocopherol Vitamin K1 Phytylmenaquinone Zinc (Zn) Zinc acetate Zinc chloride Zinc oxide Zinc sulphate 2. Amino acids Lysine Methionine 3. Fatty acids Alpha-linolenic acid Arachidonic acid Docosahexaenoic acid Eicosapentaenoic acid Linoleic acid Linolenic acid 4. Nucleotides Adenosine 5' - monophosphate Cytidine 5' - monophosphate Guanosine 5' - monophosphate Inosine 5' - monophosphate Uridine 5' - monophosphate NOTE: Except as otherwise provided in these Regulations, the maximum permitted nutrient supplement shall be governed by Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP).". 20. New Twelfth A Schedule. The principal Regulations are amended by inserting after the Twelfth Schedule the following Schedule: "TWELFTH A SCHEDULE (Regulation 26A) PERMITTED BIFIDO BACTERIA IN FOOD (1) (2) Name Minimum viable cells/g Bifido bacterium lactis (L-form) 106 Bifido bacterium longum (L-form) 106 ". 21. Amendment of Fourteenth Schedule. The Fourteenth Schedule to the principal Regulations is amended-(a) in Table I, by deleting columns (4) and (6); and (b) in Table II, by deleting columns (5) and (7). 22. New Twenty-fourth A Schedule. The principal Regulations are amended by inserting after the Twenty-fourth Schedule the following Schedule: "TWENTY-FOURTH A SCHEDULE (Regulation 393A) PERMITTED INGREDIENT IN SALT SUBSTITUTES (1) (2) Ingredient Maximum Level (a) Potassium sulphate, potassium, calcium or ammonium salts of adipic, glutamic, carbonic, succinic, lactic, tartaric, citric, acetic, hydrochloric or orthophosphoric acid; Not limited, except that P not to exceed 4% w/w and NH4+ 3% w/w of the salt substitute mixture. (b) Magnesium salts of adipic, glutamic, carbonic, citric, succinic, acetic, Mg++ to be not more than 20% w/w of the total of the cation K+, Ca++ and NH4+ present in the salt substitute mixture and P not be to exceed tartaric, lactic, hydrochloric or orthophosphoric acids mixed with other Mg-free salt substitutes as listed in (a), (c) and (d); 4% w/w of the salt substitute mixture. (c) Choline salts of acetic, carbonic, lactic, tartaric, citric or hydrochloric acids, mixed with other choline-free salt substitute as listed in (a), (b) and (d); The choline content not to exceed 3% w/w of the salt substitute mixture or (d) Free adipic, glutamic, citric, lactic or malic acids. Not limited." Made 9 March 2002. DATO' CHUA JUI MENG Minister of Health